Once A Hero, Always A Hero
by TheKnightOfHonor
Summary: Based on the story Ben Unlimited by The Incredible Muffin with just a few changes here and there. I just wanted to take a crack at writing my own little variation on the story. Add Gwen, take out a few things Ben did, and you know just have fun. Please be nice, my first time writing something like this. Thank you and have fun.
1. Duty Always Calls

**Disclaimer: As always ladies and gentlemen, I do not own Ben 10 nor do I own Justice League or Justice League Unlimited. None of the characters belong to me. They belong to their respective owners.**

**Author's Note: Before you read, I wrote this from like...8PM to like 7:48 AM. So give me a break please.**

**I am obligated to point this out:**

_**-**__Italics are thoughts._

_**-Bold Italics are J'onn's mental connection.**_

Chapter 1: Duty Always Calls

The large orange body of a dinosaur-like alien crashed down onto the pavement with a bang, creating a small crater where he landed. The disgruntled form of Humungousaur stood up with a huff, shaking his head of gravel. He let out a snarl, roaring as he charged with all his might before jumping high up into the air, bending his legs as he slammed onto the ground a few feet from his intended target. Vilgax stood proudly in front of him, a slight smirk on his lips as he gripped his flame covered sword firmly in his right hand, "So Ben Tennyson, it seems that I have finally won, do you not think so?" he pointed his blade behind him, indicating towards the burning and utterly decimated town of Bellwood.

"Your friends, your family, and even your accursed grandfather.. All dead at my hands. Though I suppose...you did cost me my fleet. I never expected the Osmosian to detonate my ship's core, effectively destroying my whole fleet surrounding it. My only consolation is that he died with it." his smirk grew visibly bigger when Humungousaur's hands balled up into fists. Just as he was about to make his charge, a certain red headed half-Anodite did a front flip over him, slamming her hands together to form a purple sphere and fire a blast of mana straight into Vilgax's stomach. He flew back into a burning house, the structure of the house crashing down on top of him. Gwen stood up straight, her ponytail flapping around slightly as she wiped her tears on the sleeve of her red sweater. Her eyes briefly went towards the sky where she had seen the exploding ship, the loss of Kevin burning hot in her chest once again as she fought the torrent of tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Ben looked down at Gwen with understanding, his fists balling up once more. He snarled as he started to grow into his full size, his scales becoming thicker and his spikes protruding from his spine. He let out a mighty roar as he charged towards the house just as Vilgax cleared the rubble on top of himself. He crashed into Vilgax with all his might, his fists slamming down onto the squid-like face with fury over and over again. He snarled and growled loud with each blow, the images of the broken and lifeless bodies of his friends and family flashing through his mind. With every image he slammed his fists down harder and harder. Uncle Frank, Aunt Natalie, Ken, Mom, Dad, Grandpa Max...Julie. With the last image he slammed both his fists down onto Vilgax, enough to create a crater where the house used to be and a shock wave sent a tremor through the ground. He stood up straight and let out a mighty roar and slammed his hand onto the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, four spikes coming out of it as a blue glow enveloped his body.

The body of Humungousaur changed slowly with the blue glow, his skin turning green, while silver spikes protruded from his head. Downward pointing black spikes also formed on both sides of his face. A dark blue spiked shell formed on his back along with a spiked chest and torso as his tail became a blue spiked mace. He roared with ferocity as he pointed his fists at Vilgax, four-barreled missile launchers forming where his hands used to be and firing barrage after barrage of missiles into Vilgax.

As the smoke cleared Vilgax laid in a mess of rubble, groaning slightly before sitting up, pointing a glare at the Ultimate Humungousaur, "I must admit that I am slightly weak after such an prolonged battle with you. But no matter, I have acquired a special weapon for you." Vilgax smirked as he reached behind himself and pulled out what looked like a giant cylinder, the middle splitting open to show a variety of buttons and a timer screen, "A Kronotron grenade, made from a fairly new mineral...but I hear it reaches for miles, not even I know the extent of it's destructive power. Would you like to find out with me?"

Humungousaur's eyes widened slightly but he did not back down, his arms still pointed at Vilgax with determination. Just as Vilgax was about to speak again, Gwen jumped from behind Humungousaur and sent another blast of mana into Vilgax's face, throwing him backwards. The grenade flew from his hand and dropped onto the ground hard, red electricity sparking here and there as it beeped rapidly. Humungousaur's deep rumbling voice called out in alarm, "Gwen!"

Gwen's eyes turned wide as she shot her mana out towards the grenade, her purple mana wrapping around the cylinder in an attempt to throw it before it exploded. She gasped, realizing she was too late as a burst of red light expanded out in the shape of a dome from within her mana. With her mana interfering with the energy, the red light turned purple, engulfing both herself and Ben in the blast, causing both teens to scream out in fear. As the blast cleared, a crater about a half mile in diameter stood where they were, devoid of anything or anyone.

**Metropolis**

Ben let out a slight moan, gently moving his head from side to side. His head was pounding like someone had used a jackhammer to ram into his skull. His body ached everywhere and any attempt at moving his joints sent jolts of pain all throughout his body. He regretted trying to open his eyes because the light that invaded his vision sent another spike of pain through his skull. He let out another drawn out groan, keeping absolutely still. On the bright side...he was not dead. Or at least, he hoped he wasn't, because he was almost a hundred percent sure that the dead did not feel any pain.

He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, trying to calm his nerves and his beating heart. In and out. In and out. In and out. He felt his mind calm down and the pain all over his body seemed to be reduced to angry thuds. Slowly, very slowly he opened his eyes, his vision filling up with the cloudless blue sky above him. _Well that was...nice?_

"Ben...?" he heard a soft voice to his right, his head turning. Slowly approaching him, gripping her left side, was Gwen. Her red sweater and white shirt were tattered and her stockings were ripped here and there. Her legs were wobbling and he feared she might collapse at any moment. With great strain, he forced his body into action, lifting himself up into a sitting position. He was pleased to feel his body not ache with too much pain so he attempted to stand, slowly. His head felt heavy and he wished he could just collapse on the floor and sleep but he fought the urge fiercely.

"Gwen..." he got to his feet and after a few seconds of letting the pounding in his head to stop, he took steps towards her. When they finally met in the middle, he grasped her arms then finally managed to get them around her waist, pulling her close into a hug. They both let out a sigh, supporting each other while leaning against one another, letting their bodies just relax for a moment.

After a few minutes of holding one another, Gwen finally pulled back, her hands gripping his arms firmly, "Are you okay?"

Ben looked at her for a few moments before looking down, shutting his eyes tight to fight the tears that threatened to come out of his eyes, "No...no I'm not alright... Gwen...we lost everything. Everyone... We lost out parents...we lost our friends...hell, we even lost Grandpa!" he couldn't help raising his voice, his own hands grasping her wrists hard. A sob finally left his lips, his knees weakening as he dropped down onto the ground.

Gwen dropped to her knees as well, moving her arms around his torso to hold him close as her own tears started to fall, "I know Ben... I...I know. I'm sorry...I just..." Gwen placed her face onto his shoulder, her wet tears falling onto his green jacket.

Ben let his tears fall as he wrapped his own arms around Gwen's waist, holding her close as he cried into her torn black sweater, his hands grabbing a fist full of the soft fabric, "I couldn't protect them Gwen...I completely fell for Vilgax's stupid trap and he led me away..."

Gwen shook her head, her ponytail flapping wildly behind her, "No Ben...we all fell for it. Me...you...Kevin... We had all fallen for his stupid trick... I was so worried about everyone that I let Kevin go alone in the Rust Bucket and I...I..." she let out another sob. If only she had gone with him...maybe she could have put a shield around them and escaped the explosion...

They stayed like that for what felt like ages, holding each other in comfort before Ben pulled away, wiping his face with the sleeve of his jacket. He took a few deep breaths again, calming his racing mind. Gwen knelt in front of him, leaning back on her feet as she watched him cautiously as he calmed his nerves. She then took her time to look around, her gaze falling on the lights of the buildings surrounding them, "Where are we...? This is definitely not Bellwood... Look at the buildings around us." Gwen pointed her finger towards the skyscrapers surrounding them. They appeared to be in a park of some sort, trees all around them and a running path to their right.

Ben stood up, feeling his strength slowly coming back to him as he looked towards the city, noticing the very alien-looking space ships hovering above the city "Yeah...and those ships don't look like Vilgax's drop ships, so whats going on?" he held his hand out to Gwen who took it gratefully and stood up. She closed her eyes, letting the life mana all around them slowly replenish her.

Gwen opened her eyes as she heard approaching footsteps. She turned just as Ben stepped up besides her, her eyes widening slightly as muscular men dressed in red and gold armor ran up to them armed with various different weapons. From spears, axes, maces, and large hammers to laser rifles, the winged men surrounded both of them, ready to attack. What surprised Ben wasn't the fact that the men wore strange armor or even the fact that they were armed. It was the fact that each and every one of them had wings protruding from their backs. Dark gray wings that were as tall as the men themselves hung from their backs. Some were even flying in the air, flapping a few feet above them.

The one who seemed to be in charge stepped forward, gripping his ax with two hands, "Who are you? We picked up a large energy signal from this area..." He seemed to take in the appearance of both the teens before gesturing to his men. Four of the soldiers stepped forward, pointing their sparking spears at the two, "You will both be taken in for questioning. Put your hands up and surrender or suffer the consequences."

Ben and Gwen looked at each other in confusion. Before Ben could decide to transform and attack these people, Gwen stepped forward, ever the diplomat, "'I'm sorry, me and my cousin here were out for a stroll in the park when we were knocked down by something. We are a bit lost in memory and location. Who are you people?"

The man in front, presumably the captain, narrowed his eyes at the two suspiciously, "We are the Thanagarian military force and we currently occupy this planet for its own safety." At the word 'occupy' both Gwen and Ben looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Where have I heard that before..." Ben muttered under his breath as he glared at the captain addressing them, "I think we've heard enough. It's hero time!" Ben brought his left arm up, pulling the sleeve of his green jacket back to reveal the green gauntlet like device covering his wrist and slightly up his forearm. The Ultimatrix glowed with the familiar green light as he tapped the small button near the bottom of the dial, a hologram of an alien popping up. He cycled through the various aliens he had collected over the years for a few moments before slamming his hand down onto the watch. A green flash of light overtook his body, forcing the Thanagarian soldiers to shield their eyes for a few moments.

Ben felt the familiar sensation of his skeletal structure morphing and the metamorphosis of his body as he stepped into the shoes of another species.

"Big Chill." An eerily haunting voice spoke in a low, calm tone. When the Thanagarians unshielded their eyes, in place of the boy they had been attempting to arrest, stood a humanoid, blue moth-like alien. Four large wings protruded from it's back while it's antenna curved upwards from the top of it's shoulder blades. It's green bug-like eyes watched the Hawkmen with a bit of amusement, their faces awestruck as they stared at the blue creature.

"Whats wrong, guys? I said Big Chill...not freeze." the Hawkmen quickly recovered from their shock and raised their weapons to attack. Big Chill only needed that moment of hesitation to take a deep breath and blow out a chilly mist. As the white mist made contact with all the Hawkmen, they were immediately encased in ice, frozen solid. At the same time, Gwen surrounded her fists with mana, swinging her arms out to send balls of purple mana out towards the Hawkmen floating in the air. It was over in moments, all of the Hawkmen on the ground frozen solid while the few in the air were blasted out of the sky and into the ground.

Big Chill landed down next to Gwen, his wings folding around himself like a big blue hooded poncho. His black, pointed fingers waved at the frozen Hawkmen, looking at Gwen with what seemed like a raised eyebrow from his bug-like face, "Well... I think it is safe to assume that they are not a friendly alien force. We just went from one bad situation to another... Oh well, I was looking for a good excuse to vent some frustration." there was a hard tone in the haunting voice coming out of his seemingly unmoving mouth.

Gwen looked around, rubbing her arms to try and warm herself up from the cold temperature Big Chill's breath made around her, "Yeah...and I think I know where we should start next." she pointed upwards, towards a silver ship flying over the city, "That one looks different from the others, so I am guessing it's pretty important."

Big Chill merely smirked at her in response.

**Thanagarian Prison Ship Above the Skies of Metropolis**

The Justice League sat defeated in their individual cells made for their specific powers. Superman, the one known as the Man of Steel had his arms tied up on both sides, red sun radiation heavily showering down on him. On the left side of the Man of Steel, was the Martian Manhunter known as J'onn Jonzz, his arms and legs shackling him in midair with his stomach parallel to the ground. A force field surrounded his body, preventing him from phasing or even using his telepathy. To his left was Flash, known as the Fastest Man Alive, pressed heavily onto the floor by a gravitational pad, unable to move even a muscle. Next to him, knelt down with his hands behind his back with a triple lock reinforced shackle covering every inch of his hands, was Batman; known as the World's Greatest Detective. To his left was Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess, tied to a pillar with her own indestructible lasso. Her usually well kept hair was slightly disheveled. In the last cell of the row of trapped heroes was John Stewart, one of the Green Lanterns of Earth. Stripped of his power ring, his usual emerald green eyes were now dark brown, his hands shackled together in front of him as he leaned back in his small cell.

He gritted his teeth, trying desperately not to feel the pang of hurt in his chest. Hawkgirl, she had betrayed them and played him for a fool, learning about all their weaknesses and exploiting it to break down the earth's mightiest defenders easily.

Each hero contemplated many things in their imprisonment, but most of all, they thought of the traitor that used and abused the friendship and comradery they all shared. Just as a hopeless and depressing atmosphere settled around the heroes, the ship suddenly shook under them.

All their heads, with the exception of Flash, rose in curiosity. Just as Flash was about to ask what happened, a voice crackled over the intercom, panic in the man's voice, "Intruders have entered the ship. They are in hall D6 and are currently heading towards D7. All troops stop them, stop them now!"

Right as the voice ended, the doors to the cell block exploded and flew across the hall with two Hawkmen planted firmly against them. A long purple blast with claws at the end, almost similar to a Lantern's ring blast, retracted back towards the door. Each of the heroes who could move, walked to the edge of the cell, trying to glimpse who was fighting the Thanagarians.

A seemingly calm and echoing voice like a phantom drifted from the doorway, "Well... This isn't the bridge but it looks like we found the holding room..." the few heroes who could see the door blinked, the image of a giant blue moth-like man was the last thing they expected to see.

"Well if they have a prison, and if we are correct to assume that they are the hostile occupying aliens, then anyone in here are probably our allies." a girl with luscious red hair pulled back in a ponytail stepped through the broken doorway, her emerald eyes darting around the room before landing on the few occupied cells. She didn't blink at the outrageous garments the people were wearing or even seemed surprised at J'onn's appearance, "Yeah, these guys are definitely heavy hitters, I mean look at the amount of security they went through to lock these guys up... Ben incoming!"

Gwen dodged to the side as bolts of laser fire rained down on her before she swiped her hand, a trail of purple mana shooting out small blasts of mana into the Hawkmen in the air, knocking them down. Big Chill merely turned intangible as the bolts of laser went right through him, "These guys need to...chill." Big Chill then flew up into the air, his wings unwrapping from his body. He took a deep breath and let it out, the white mist instantly freezing a few Hawkmen who came through a door on the far side of the hallway.

Inside the control room a few feet above the ground, one of the Hawkmen gripped the intercom and spoke urgently into it, "Intruders are now in cell block seven, we need back up now!" he then flew down with his ax and swung at Big Chill who turned intangible, letting the Hawkman pass right through him before breathing out a chilly breath onto him, freezing him solid.

Big Chill then tilted his head, slowly lowering himself down onto the floor in front of one of the cells. He stared at the man inside, watching him for a few minutes. The man was dressed like what was a bat, his whole attire either black or gray with the exception of the yellow utility belt around his waist. A black symbol of a bat was on his chest as he seemed to glare at Big Chill, scrutinizing him up and down. Big Chill finally spoke, his hand waving behind him, "So...from what I can tell these bird people are occupying the Earth with hostile goals and you guys are the good guys who got captured. Please tell me I'm right because I really don't want to find out I attacked the wrong guys like Manny and Helen..."

Batman stayed silent, watching Big Chill with what seemed like mild curiosity and a bit of disbelief. Then, John spoke up from one cell down, "You mean you don't know us? Where have you been living all your life, in a cave? We are the Justice League, we protect the Earth and send criminals to jail. Even if you have not heard of the rest of us, you must know Superman or Batman."

Big Chill looked down at John, although he couldn't quite tell, Big Chill had a very confused look on his face. Before he could speak though, laser fire erupted around him and only because Gwen threw up a shield in front of him was he saved from being stunned, or worse. Making a quick decision, Big Chill rammed his hand into the control panel and disabled the force field keeping Batman in. Batman got up quickly and got out of the cell, nodding his head slightly at Big Chill, "Oh let me get that for you..." Big Chill quickly took a breath and breathed out onto the shackles, freezing them solid.

As he waited for the darkly dressed man to express his gratitude, he failed to see the Hawkman sneaking up behind him with an mace. Batman quickly pushed Big Chill out of the way and slammed his frozen shackles down onto the Hawkman's head, effectively shattering them. Batman rubbed his wrists before moving past him, "You're welcome."

"Thanks..." Big Chill said grudgingly at Batman, who pointedly ignored him as he turned towards the cell with Wonder Woman in it. He then slammed his fist into the control panel, shouting at Big Chill, "Free the others, now!"

Big Chill jolted back before quickly turning and moved towards the closest cell. He slammed his hand into the control and turned off the force field before moving inside and destroying another set of controls. What seemed like a gravity generator turned off as a man dressed in a full red body suit got up, shaking his head. He had a yellow lightning bolt on his chest and he smiled as he got up, "Ugh... Feels like I just ran a marathon on Jupiter..." Big Chill raised what seemed like an eyebrow. Jupiter was a gas planet, so how would he run on it?

"Thanks man." the red-clad hero smiled and seemed to stretch his body for a few moments before suddenly zipping away at an amazing speed. _Whoa...he's even faster than XLR8 or even Fasttrack! _The man zipped to one of the fallen Hawkmen and seemed to dig around the man's belt before producing a set of keys. Grinning like a child, he zipped towards the other cells, unlocking the force fields then the shackles holding his fellow heroes. By now the other heroes were sprung from their cells and fighting back with weapons taken from the fallen Hawkmen.

All hell had broken loose. With all of the heroes freed from their cells, Hawkmen poured in by the dozens. Frozen Hawkmen were all over the place and fighting ensued throughout the hallway of the cell block.

As Big Chill flew around freezing and punching Hawkmen here and there, he couldn't help noticing the other heroes fighting. Four of them seemed to have their own unique super powers, from flying around, super speed, super strength, to even shooting laser beams from their eyes. _Yup, these were definitely not your typical humans. _

As he was musing about these super powered beings, he noticed a large bird man flying up with a large cannon like rifle, pointing the cannon at the woman dressed in a red, white, and blue leotard. Flying fast towards the woman, Big Chill slammed his hand onto the Ultimatrix dial on his chest, a flash of green light filling the room as he landed on the ground.

"Chromastone!" in the place of Big Chill stood a thin, one-eyed alien with a purple body with various pink crystals aligned all over his body. Several dark lines and spots dotted his entire body and his hands and face seemed to be made of magenta. Six magenta shards protruded from his back, two on his chest, and one on the top of his head that resembled a horn. His face consisted of a mouth and one large green eye at the center.

A few members of the league look at the new creature in shock, their mouths slightly ajar at the instant transformation.

Chromastone smirked at the large bird man with the laser cannon, tapping the center of his chest, "Hit the large silicon based life form and you win a colorful prize, birdie." The Thanagarian solider snarled and aimed the cannon right at him, pulling the trigger as a straight yellow beam fired into him for a good ten seconds. Wonder Woman let out a loud gasp, moving forward in an attempt to pull him out of the way of the blast but surprised to see that instead of being disintegrated like the Thanagarian hoped, Chromastone seemed to spread his hands outwards, absorbing the laser into himself. A wave of rainbow colored energy flowed visibly through his body before he pointed his hand at the Thanagarian, his own wave of powerful rainbow colored light exploding from his hands and across the hall.

The Thanagarian soldier barely had enough time to dodge as the beam ripped through the hull of the ship and created a rather large opening in the wall. Immediately, the air started to get sucked out, pulling any unprepared Thanagarians out with a scream while the Justice League braced themselves. Gwen had somehow made it behind Chromastone, her arms wrapping around his form with a death grip, "This ship is going to go down, we need to get out of here now Ben!"

Not needing to be told twice, Chromastone immediately slapped the Ultimatrix dial on his chest, "Big Chill!" He took off into the air, one hand wrapping around Gwen's waist and made for the opening. He turned around, looking down at the other heroes, "Abandon ship!"

Superman, after feeling the much needed rays of the sun, took to the air with Batman hanging onto his back and his hands grabbing Flash. Wonder Woman scooped both Green Lantern and the weakened alien form of J'onn before lifting off into the air. Everyone quickly maneuvered out of the ship and into the sky as the ship fell behind them into the ocean.

As Big Chill flew in the air with a firm grip on Gwen he turned to look at Batman who was still glaring at him, "So...nice planet you got here. Do the bird people come with it or can I request them to be taken back to their owners?"

Flash, who was hanging below Superman looked up at Big Chill with a grin, "Oh he's going to be so much fun..."

**On the Streets of Metropolis**

The Justice League, plus two, ducked away from the large display mirror of the clothing store they were currently hiding in. The swishing of the Thanagarian wings passed by as another patrol made it's way through the streets. Green Lantern turned to Superman, "That X-Ray vision working yet?"

Superman looked upwards at the ceiling then the walls, nodding slightly, "Just enough to see Hawk soldiers still patrolling the skies..."

J'onn, still in his natural alien form, looked out towards the streets, "They'll have the whole city looking for us by now."

Immediately afterward, Flash spoke up with a slight smile, his hands on his hips, "Who knows, maybe they'll get tired and go home." At that comment every eye landed on him, some eyebrows raised and two glaring. He shrunk a bit, "Yeah I know... But a little optimism at a time like this couldn't hurt." Superman then turned his attention on the plus two standing a little away from the group. Gwen with her arms crossed and Big Chill staring at the group with interest.

"I'm sorry, we were not properly introduced. With all the fighting going on, I don't think we had the time for pleasantries. I'm Superman and this is the Justice League. That's Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, J'onn Jonzz, and Flash." Superman held his hand out to Big Chill who took hold of the hand carefully, shaking it.

Big Chill seemed to snort when he took back his hand, looking at Superman with what seemed like amusement, "The Justice League? Really? Why, was the Justice Friends taken?" Flash zipped up to Big Chill, poking his chest lightly, "Oh yeah tough guy, then what was your super fighting force called, huh?"

Big Chill suddenly looked down, kicking his feet slightly, "Th-The Plumbers..." At that, Flash laughed, his hand moving onto the side of his head, "The Plumbers!? Seriously? Ha! I'd take Justice League over the Plumbers any day!"

Just as the two seemed to be on the verge of starting a debate, Green Lantern pushed his hand out, "Look, we appreciate the help. But who are you two? We've never met any superheroes who can do what you two displayed. And the Plumbers? We've never heard of them either. And despite all the help you two gave us, we are not in any position to trust more strangers..."

Big Chill glared at Green Lantern. Just as he was about to open his mouth and tell him off, Gwen stepped forth, holding her hand up to Big Chill. She turned to Green Lantern, giving him a small smile, "I'm sorry, we are actually in...a sort of a situation ourselves. We are unfamiliar with this...Earth. Or more specifically this dimension I assume."

At that, Wonder Woman stepped forth, tilting her head, "What do you mean 'this dimension'? Are you saying that you and your friend here are not from this realm?"

Just as Gwen was about to answer, a large voice boomed from outside as a searchlight shined into one section of the clothing store, "This is the voice of the Thanagarian occupational authority. Your so called 'Justice League' and two other convicts are in violation of our martial law. They are to be considered an enemy, and dealt with on sight. Any person found aiding or harboring them will be summarily punished."

Big Chill looked at Flash who in turn slumped his shoulders slightly, "Still think they'll just go home?" Flash gave him a dirty look before Batman suddenly stepped forth.

"For the time being, we're going to have to go underground."

Wonder Woman raised her hand slightly, looking at Batman, "How exactly do we hide when the entire planet is out looking for us?"

Big Chill raised his hand as well, "Especially when most of you are dressed so flashy you'd stand out less if you were wearing Sumo Slammer costumes at a renaissance fair." when everyone gave him funny looks his eyes widened slightly, "Please tell me you guys have heard of Sumo Slammer. Even adults have heard of the franchise, it's famous!" when no one said anything his shoulders drooped and looked like he was about to cry.

J'onn, ignoring most of Big Chill's rant, stepped towards a rack of brown trench coats and gently gripped the sleeve of one, speaking in his usual calm tone as he slowly morphed into a thin middle aged man dressed in gray slacks, sleek black dress shoes, a red button up shirt, and a long brown trench coat similar to the one he touched, "Both of them are correct. They are looking for the Justice League, without our costumes, we are merely ordinary citizens."

Flash immediately shot his arms up, waving his hands rapidly, "Now hold on a second here. What about the whole secret identity thing? I mean, I guess I could stretch it and say I trust you guys enough to reveal my secret identity, but what about them?" he pointed his thumb at Big Chill and Gwen, "I mean, we just met them and we don't know a single thing about them. Can we really trust them with our secret identities?"

At that comment Big Chill's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, "Oh yeah, we must be _so_ untrustworthy. I mean it's not like we beat up a bunch of violent, well armed Hawk people then rescued your sorry confined as-" just as he was about to finish his sentence, Gwen shot her hand up over his mouth, "What he is trying to say is, we either earned your trust by now, or we don't. Besides... I don't exactly have a secret identity. You've all seen my face clearly."

Each member of the Justice League exchanged glances with one another, silently contemplating with one another. Big Chill stepped forward, his patience having run out, "Look, we didn't ask to be here. Hell, we didn't ask to become heroes again. The last thing we wanted was to be thrown into another battle, especially after...after..." he seemed to lose his steam, his shoulders slumping as his eyes dropped. Gwen looked away, her right hand coming up to grip her left arm. The sudden somber mood that fell over both of them created a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Letting out a slight sigh Big Chill stepped forth, his hand moving up to his Ultimatrix dial and twisted it slightly to the left, a bright green flash blinding the heroes for a second. In the place of Big Chill stood an eighteen year old boy with bright emerald eyes and a crop of brown hair. He wore a black sleeveless t-shirt, dark blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and a green jacket with a large white stripe trailing down the left side with a black circle near his heart, a white number ten inscribed on it with two white stripes circling around the top of his left forearm. He crossed his arms, which slightly pulled up the sleeve of his left arm revealing a green gauntlet like device trailing up his wrist, "My name is Ben Tennyson, now you know my 'secret identity' so there is no problem is there?"

There was stunned silence for a few moment from five of the members before Green Lantern spoke up, "You're both just kids, you're telling me that we were saved by a bunch of kids?" his hand shot out to wave rapidly at Gwen and Ben.

"Hey! We're both eighteen!"

"Green eyes...Gwen and Ben... Are you two siblings?" Flash was gripping his chin with one hand, the other one pointing at the two teens in question.

"No, he's my cousin. Our dads are...were siblings." Gwen looked away again, fighting the images of her deceased father and uncle from her mind. She couldn't break down right now, could she?

None of the heroes missed the past tense Gwen had changed to and didn't really know what to say. Whatever happened must have happened recently and they were in no hurry to get the two teens to talk about it.

Before anyone could speak though, Batman suddenly stepped forth, "We can all talk about trust, our past, and whatever information we want to share on a later date. Right now, we don't have time for this. I don't know about trust, but I know that they have fought alongside us against the Thanagarians. 'The enemy of my enemy, is my friend.'" with that, Batman pointed his finger at Flash, "Barry Allen." he then pointed his thumb at Superman, "Clark Kent." finally he reached up and yanked his cowl from his face, revealing his well kept dark hair, handsome face, and piercing blue eyes, "Bruce Wayne."

Everyone paused for a few moments before Flash's wide eyes turned back to normal, his shoulders drooping a bit, "Show off..." he reached up and pulled his own cowl off, his messy blonde hair sticking up slightly as he smiled a bit at everyone.

Wonder Woman reached up and ruffled Barry's blonde hair, smiling at him warmly, "Blonde hair? I always expected you to have red hair." Barry gave her a funny look before being hit in the face with a pair of slacks by Batman as he sternly told him to change. Everyone separated to go find some new clothes except Ben and J'onn, who had their own clothes or had already morphed into their own.

After a few minutes of picking out clothes that suited their tastes and dressing up, everyone was in their civilian clothing. Superman wore a blue suit over a white dress shirt and a red tie, a pair of fake glasses worn over his eyes. Wonder Woman wore a light blue blouse with purple jeans, looking herself over in the mirror as she tied her long black hair in a ponytail. Green Lantern wore a blue beanie on his head, light brown slacks, a black shirt, and a brown zip up hoodie. Flash wore simple black jeans, tennis shoes, a white shirt, and a light tan jacket. Bruce had on a fancy brown turtleneck, brown dress pants, sleek black shoes, and a fancy black leather jacket. Gwen had changed out of her tattered clothes and into a familiar outfit, black jeans with a red button up shirt worn under a black vest. Her hair was still tied back in a pony tail and she wore a white scarf around the bottom half of her face, effectively hiding it from any Thanagarian that might recognize her, without suspicion.

As they all exited into the alleyway on the other side of the building from where they entered, Bruce stood guard, glancing around the corner for a patrol. He turned back and nodded to the group, indicating the coast was clear. Green Lantern spoke up with his militaristic voice, "We need to split up, they'll be looking for eight of us. Not pairs."

"A rendezvous point?"

"We're about thirty miles from Gotham City, we can regroup at my house there. But try and keep a low profile." Bruce then glanced at Ben and Gwen, "Assuming your story is true, you both wouldn't know where to go. Me and Diana will take the kids. We'll pose as a family making our way out of the city." Ben glared at Bruce but was pointedly ignored as he continued, "John and Barry travel together. J'onn and Clark, use Clark's reporter cover if you have to, but get out of the city. Don't stir up trouble." he practically growled the last sentence before moving out from the corner, Diana, Ben, and Gwen close behind.

As they left, Barry let out a slight sigh, "Thirty miles through Hawk infested territory... No problem." Bruce repressed an urge to sigh before falling in step besides Diana who was walking next to Gwen. The older Amazon looked down at the red haired girl with a gentle smile, "My name is Diana, princess of the Amazons. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My identity is no secret from the world."

Gwen perked up with a bit of interest at the introduction, as did Ben, "You're a real princess?" Diana nodded, smiling slightly at Gwen's enthusiasm.

Ben had his hands in his pockets as he spoke up from behind them, "We've met...certain princesses but not really any human...ones. In our world there really aren't that many human royalty on the planet."

Diana nodded while Bruce stored every little bit of information in the back of his mind for later. These two might have saved them and indeed seemed like heroes, but he knew looks could be deceiving. He might have been called paranoid a lot of times by his fellow heroes, but it was with good reason. If he had been a little more cautious about Hawkgirl, he could possibly have stopped this invasion before it happened. He was careless to put down so much of his guard just because they had worked together on many occasions.

**Aboard the Thanagarian Mothership**

Paran Dul, the Thanagarian female soldier in charge of the construction of the shield generator, or what the Thanagarians claimed it to be, was speaking with her current commander and much admired leader, Hro Talak, "The construction proceeds as scheduled. We have added humans to the work force."

"Are they of any use?"

"They have no technical expertise to speak of, but they can lift and carry as well as any animal. We should complete the project by the target date."

Shayera Hol, formally known as Hawkgirl of the Justice League, walked over next to Talak, her betrothed and commander. She eyed Paran carefully, noting with distaste the way she addressed the humans of the Earth as mere animals and not people. When did she start to view other races as more, rather than less like her people usually did?

She was brought out of her thoughts as Talak suddenly spoke, his eyes ablaze, "Be aware that the Justice League has escaped. Stand ready for an attack." Shayera glanced at her betrothed, a bit startled at the determination and eagerness in his voice.

Paran merely looked indifferent as she looked at her commander, "Let them come, it will only be suicide."

Talak's eyes narrowed as he looked at Paran, "No, there were two who were with them that not even Shayera recognized. Two who were able to get past all our defenses and free the Justice League easily. Be ready for anything Paran, double your defenses and make sure nothing delays your progress. Am I understood?" Paran nodded, briefly glancing at Shayera, with no doubt thinking that the former special ops spy couldn't have possibly missed something so important as two powerful enemies, before the screen cut off.

Shayera had to admit that even she was surprised when she received the report about how the Justice League escaped and reviewed the video footage of the prison ship. She didn't recognize the girl shooting blasts of purple energy out of her hands like Green Lantern did nor did she recognize the blue moth-like creature that seemingly transformed into a crystal-like creature that could absorb and redirect energy. Did it make a difference? She hoped not but she couldn't help feeling that nagging in the back of her head that told her these two were different, and most definitely dangerous. She looked towards Talak, voicing her concern, "Humans working as slaves?"

Talak looked at her and spoke with that tone that she did not like, as if he were speaking just to appease her, "Unfortunate, but necessary. We are on an unforgiving schedule. And if we are going to finish the hyperspace bypass in time..."

Shayera frowned, stepping forward immediately, "Bypass? I thought we were building a force shield!" she had not heard of this, no one had told her that they were building a hyperspace bypass. That would mean...

"That was merely the cover story." Talak spoke as if it were obvious, looking at Shayera as if she should have known the whole time.

Shayera glared at him, "So when were you going to tell me your real plans? Or didn't you think you could trust me?" both of them stood at a stand off, looking into each others eyes for a minute or so before finally Talak turned away, putting a hand on Shayera's shoulder, "Come."

Talak led her to the main computer, typing into the console as the screen came to life, showing her the familiar diagram of the Gordanian system, "For decades, the Gordanian homeworld has been protected behind an impregnable defensive line. But this chain of hyperspace bypasses, will allow our armadas to jump behind their defenses and make a direct assault on the heart of their empire. Earth is the last link in that chain, once that chain is completed we can attack and wipe out the Gordanian threat forever!"

Of course Shayera saw the success in the plan and couldn't find any fault in it for their victory. The one thing that she did see as a problem, was the consequence of such an action, "But if you open a hole in hyperspace, it will destroy this entire planet!"

"Sadly yes." Talak's voice seemed a bit worn out as he turned to look at Shayera with those battle aged eyes, eyes that told her that this war needed to end, one way another. Forever the military leader of the Thanagarian forces, he did what was best for his people and his people alone and Shayera used to love that about him. But now as he spoke all she could only feel the horror of the plan he had laid out to her, for both the Earth and for Talak, "For Thanagar to live, Earth...must die."

**Streets of Metropolis**

****As Bruce, Diana, Gwen, and Ben made their way through the streets of Metropolis and towards the train station, they did their best to seem like a 'family'. Gwen stood close to Diana, attempting a bit of small talk here and there as they passed Thanagarian patrols, or avoided them to be more precise. This left Bruce and Ben to walk side by side silently, both looking strangely like a brooding father and son.

They were almost at the station when some commotion caught their attention. Two Thanagarian soldiers were hassling a couple about their identifications when one of the soldiers grabbed her purse and yanked it from her arm, earning a yelp from the frightened woman. Feeling some righteous anger, her boyfriend immediately stepped up and grabbed the Thanagarian's arm, shouting at him to leave her alone. This earned him a fist to the face, which sent him down onto his back and his head onto the pavement. When the man didn't get back up, his girlfriend immediately fell to her knees, cradling his head in her lap as she looked at him with fright and concern.

Ben's hands balled up into fists and just as he was about to move forward, he saw Diana move first, anger on her face. Before she could do anything though, Bruce abruptly caught her arm and pulled her back, "Diana, no." he spoke sharply, glaring at the Thanagarians.

"You would stand here and do nothing?"

"We can't risk a confrontation here."

Suddenly the four looked up as they heard the shouting of some teenagers on the roof. _Oh this will definitely end very badly. Very, very badly. _Ben looked up as a blonde haired teen and his slightly chubby friend yelled from the roof, "Hey bird heads, go back to where you came from, get off of our planet!" then to add more oil to the fire, they threw what looked like a brick at the Thanagarians.

Ignoring how they could fly, or how they were heavily armed, or how they were occupying the entire planet, Ben felt a tiny bit impressed by the teen's protest. This however, quickly died when the Thanagarian soldier pulled out a laser rifle and fired a single shot at the roof. The roof burst and multiple chunks of concrete fell down towards the couple who were being harassed by the Thanagarians. On instinct, Gwen shot her hands out, purple mana surrounding her hands as a large tendril of mana shot out towards the couple and covered them in a force shield. The heavy rocks bounced off the mana shield, the Thanagarians staring at Gwen in shock for a few moments before Bruce suddenly kicked off and rammed his foot into one of the soldiers, pushing him into his partner and slammed both of them into an ally.

From across the street, some more Thanagarian soldiers turned and pointed at them, "Over there, it's the Justice League!" Ben was about to lift his sleeve and transform when Bruce abruptly grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward while Diana grabbed Gwen's hand and ran with her.

"So much for blending in." Bruce rounded the corner with Ben, soon followed by Diana before she suddenly stopped. She grabbed a nearby light pole and ripped it off it's hinges, earning a whistle from Ben as she swung it around like a baseball bat, smashing the Thanagarian patrol that was following them. More rounded a corner, shooting laser bolts at them before they quickly started to run down the street.

As they ran further along the street, a man in a red turban ran out of his store, waving at them and pointing inside of his restaurant, "In here!" when they all hesitated for a moment he ushered them inside, "Please, hurry!"

He quickly shut the door and pushed the four of them deeper into the restaurant, earning looks of fear and hope from the other customers. Bruce spoke up quickly, glancing at the owner, "We can't stay here. If they find you helping us..."

The man merely grabbed Bruce and Diana's arm and seated them at a couple's table near the back while a woman came out and grabbed Ben and Gwen, leading them into the kitchen and then into a back room. She put her finger to her lips as she grabbed a blue veil and quickly shut the door. She moved out and quickly wrapped it around Diana's hair, hoping to god that it would be enough to fool the Thanagarian patrol.

Three Thanagarian soldiers slammed open the doors, entering the restaurant with scowls on their faces. Diana immediately wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck, his eyes widening for a split second as Diana's firm yet surprisingly soft lips pressed against his own. She tasted sweet, like a natural flower.

The soldiers looked around as the owner approached them, the lead soldier glancing down at the owner, "We're looking for a dark haired man and woman and two children."

"I apologize but there are no families here, only couples..." the owner turned, holding his right hand out to indicate to the filled up restaurant filled with many dark haired couples, all looking at the soldiers with wary expressions.

The lead soldier glanced around before focusing on the two in the back engaged in kissing one another feverishly before looking at the owner, "Has anyone entered here recently?" the owner promptly told him no before the soldier pointed at the two in the back, "What about those two?"

The owner, with a surprising amount of deception managed a smile, "Ah-ha, the love birds? Been here for hours. Regulars at this restaurant, I believe they even have plans for marriage in the near future, no children as of yet." he even managed a slight nonchalant tone as he waved his hand at the soldier.

The Thanagarian regarded the restaurant for a few moments before turning around and indicating to his fellow soldiers, "Lets move on."

Diana and Bruce glanced at the retreating Thanagarians with their lips still locked in a kiss before abruptly splitting apart. Diana looked at Bruce a bit bashfully through her lashes, a slight smile on her lips, "Sorry..."

In return, Bruce did that unconscious raising of his left eyebrow as a cocky smile formed on his lips, "Don't be." As Bruce Wayne, the facade of being a billionaire playboy always came to him naturally and he had to admit. He didn't mind Diana's lips on his own.

As soon as they thought the coast was absolutely clear, they got up from their table and made their way to the back and into the kitchen. Ben and Gwen had already come out of the back room and were waiting by the back door. Diana smiled at the two, thanking Hera that they did not see her and Bruce's little act as she opened the door. Gwen and Ben soon followed her.

Before Bruce exited he turned and gave the owner a slight nod. He made note of the street and the name of the restaurant, so that when this was all over, he could properly thank the owner with funding from an anonymous donor.

**Gotham City: Wayne Manor**

After catching a train ride to Gotham city without further incidents, Bruce seemed to relax just a little bit as they traversed through the dark streets of Gotham. With Hawkmen at every corner, even the criminals that used to run rampant around Gotham seemed to be keeping low or went underground. As they walked more and more towards the outskirts of Gotham, Ben wondered where exactly Bruce's house was when they came upon the grand Wayne manor. Bruce pulled out what looked like a small remote and opened the front gates, not bothering to close them as he knew more company was coming.

As they all walked up the long driveway towards the front doors, Ben's mouth had fallen open as he looked around the huge estate, "This is your house? How big is this place? How can you afford this?"

Bruce looked back at Ben and cocked an eyebrow but said nothing else as they reached the front doors. He pressed the doorbell and a few moments later, a balding elder man opened the door. He had a small mustache under his nose and was actually wearing a butler uniform. He bowed all proper to them before turning to Bruce, "Master Bruce, so good to see you. When I heard that the Thanagarians had captured the Justice League, I had feared the worst for you."

Bruce merely nodded at the man before gesturing to him, "This is Alfred, my butler, cook, driver, and care taker." he then gestured to the group, "This is Diana, Gwen, and Ben."

Alfred bowed his head at the three before moving out of the way, extending his arm to the inside, "Welcome, would you all like some refreshments? I was in the middle of making Master Bruce's meal in case he returned to the mansion. And on the off chance he was bringing company, I had made several dishes."

At that moment, Ben's stomach growled as he scratched his head with a slight blush on his cheeks, "Sorry...it must have been at least a day since I last ate... Not to mention with all this activity going on I really need something to replenish some energy."

Diana smiled at Ben, as did Gwen as she started to walk inside after Bruce, "We're all hungry, I know I am too. It'd be nice to relax for a few minutes, we haven't had a time to think properly ever since we got to...this place."

Ben nodded as he entered, Alfred closing the door behind him as he entered. Alfred smiled a knowing smile before leading the three towards the dining room while Bruce immediately went for the grandfather clock, "Dinner then. I assume more guests are coming and it will take time."

**Six Hours Later**

If seeing the mansion made Ben's eyes bug out, they practically popped out and his jaw almost fell off when he entered the secret door behind the grandfather clock and walked down the stairs to a freaken secret cave under the mansion.

Gwen was equally awed as she glanced around the dark cave, which was surprisingly clean and tidy. She glanced at Alfred who had come down with tea, and was currently pouring it in little tea cups, "You clean this whole mansion and this cave? I hope Mister Wayne is paying a considerable amount of overtime, Mister Alfred." the old butler merely smiled politely at Gwen before handing her a cup of tea before moving back upstairs.

Ben on the other hand, was looking at Batman's different display of weapons and costumes of villains he had defeated through his crime fighting career. He was especially interested in the large freeze ray he had in a glass case.

As everyone else was settling into his used-to-be secret Batcave, Bruce was typing away furiously on his supercomputer, pulling up files on multiple subjects. He was looking up the reactions of different countries around the world, how the UN was doing, the military responses, civilian responses, and last but not least, any report on if any of the other members of the League were recaptured.

"How does it look?" Diana had walked up behind him, staring at the various reports on his supercomputer's screen. He didn't answer her, letting the reports speak for themselves as he set his jaw, glaring at the computer screen. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and turned, Clark and J'onn moving down the steps towards them.

_Good. That only meant John and Barry were missing._ Since there was no report on anyone from the League being captured or fighting, besides the small report on him and Diana, no one seemed to have stirred up any trouble.

Bruce turned his chair fully around as Ben and Gwen joined their little group near the computer, his eyes looking over the pair carefully. They did have many similarities, for instance the emerald color of their eyes. While it wasn't glowing and unnatural like John's eyes were when he was the Green Lantern, they had a unique color to them. The girl was obviously fit and trained in some form of martial arts, the way she stood guarded when enemies were nearby indicated her training as well as the muscles she had on her slim frame.

The boy on the other hand, while he did seem to be trained in fighting hand to hand, his did not seem as disciplined. Perhaps basic combat training from someone, someone who was experienced in militaristic combat? He was fit, perhaps from actively exercising or sports. He was not like his cousin, who had a more disciplined and proper training but trained none the less. Both were obviously experienced fighters, at the ripe age of eighteen. He briefly wondered what sort of childhood they had to be so...experienced.

But it was their eyes that made him pause. Their eyes were filled with pain and suffering. The same sort of suffering he thought he could glimpse when he looked himself in the mirror. The pain of losing everything in one fell swoop, at too young an age. Both their eyes were filled with pain and he did notice that neither of them let each other out of their sights for too long. He noticed how they each looked for one another every few minutes, as if reassuring themselves that the other was still around.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Alfred's voice echoing in the cave, "Your guests have arrived sir." Bruce nodded at Alfred before looking at the two who entered, "You're late."

"Nice to see you too..."

Barry ignored Bruce in favor of looking towards his collection of 'souvenirs'. He pointed to one in particular, the giant figure of a tyrannosaurus, "Hey! That's a giant dinosaur!"

Alfred walked up behind Barry, his face completely serious as he spoke, though the sarcasm wasn't missed, "And I thought Batman was the detective."

As Barry rejoined the group near the supercomputer, J'onn spoke up, "We were just speculating why the Thanagarians are really here."

"Obviously not to protect us." Clark crossed his arms, leaning back against the computer console.

"But if the Gordanians are not actually anywhere near Earth, why do they need to build that force field?" Diana pointedly looked at Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, "If it is a force field."

John raised an eyebrow, "Then what is it?"

"I can tell you." a voice suddenly rang out through the cave from the darkness. Everyone immediately tensed up, turning towards the voice with wide eyes. Shayera Hol emerged from the shadows in her full Thanagarian gear but with no mace, no weapon.

Clark immediately came forward, anger apparent on his face as he yanked his glasses off, "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here."

Diana stomped forward, her face scrunching up slightly, "We should thank you, it saves us having to hunt you down!" Diana clenched her fists, moving forward threateningly.

Before Diana could even reach Shayera, a bright green flash filled the room, "Diamondhead!" a figure jumped over everyone's head and slammed down in front of Shayera. Before she could react, a pale green crystal hand shot out and grabbed her throat, lifting her into the air. A large man-like creature made entirely of pale green crystals stood in front of the League. His lower body, torso, and the top of his head consisted of indigo crystals which had black lines and dots all over it. There were six crystal shards on his back and he also had two more crystals on the front of his chest. He had the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest and wore a uniform which was black on the right half and white on the left, covering him from his shoulders all the way down to his feet.

His sharp head was glaring up at the traitorous Hawkgirl as his other hand was pointed at her face, a sharp crystal growing out from the top of his fist and moving slowly towards her face, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't break you right now."

Shayera gasped for breath, her hands gripping Diamondhead's arm fiercely as she managed to choke out, "I didn't...come here to fight. I came to...help!"

Barry glared at Shayera before sneering at her as he spoke, "Hawk people all over the planet. Martial law? Us getting chased around like dogs. I don't think we can take much more of your help." he crossed his arms, watching her carefully.

Diamondhead considered her for a few moments, looking into her eyes. There was no deceit there but with the invasion, his confusion on how everyone knew her, and the way she was dressed, he wasn't sure what to think. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Gwen looking at him, nodding a bit to encourage him to let go.

He looked down at her for a few moments before loosening his grip, dropping the Hawkwoman onto her feet as she took a deep breath, coughing slightly. He moved away but kept a close eye on her, crossing his arms as he spoke, "One wrong move lady and you have more holes than Flash's sense of humor."

Barry said a small 'Hey!' before Shayera continued to speak, moving towards Bruce after glancing at Diamondhead warily, "It's worse than you all think... Their building a hyperspace bypass. When it's activated, it'll destroy the planet and everything on it."

She reached into a small pouch on her hip, which prompted Diamondhead to raise his hand. When he saw that all she was doing was pulling out what looked like a purple and red cassette tape, he lowered his arm, "Here, this has all the information on the project."

Her and Bruce stared at each other for a few moments, the scowl never leaving his face as he considered her. Shayera spoke up with a bit of remorse, not expecting to be forgiven but wanting to explain, "Believe me; I didn't know the magnitude of Talak's plans."

Bruce and everyone around her watched Shayera for a few tense moments before Bruce reached up and snatched the cassette away, "We'll check it out. There's the door." he turned away from her, heading to his supercomputer and sitting down.

Without so much as a glance towards her, the other members of the League turned their backs on her and walked towards the computer. Gwen turned to join the others and Diamondhead was about to join her when he heard Shayera speak up, "Aren't you going to turn your back on me too?"

Diamondhead turned back and saw that John was standing behind her with his arms crossed, glaring at her, "Last time I let my guard down, you sucker punched me."

"It wasn't personal."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"I did what I thought was right then. And that's what I am doing right now." she stepped up to John and held her hand out to him. Diamondhead couldn't quite see what she was holding but John did have a look of surprise on his face. Before Diamondhead could decide whether she was threatening John or not, John himself reached out and took whatever she was holding. Then she abruptly spread her wing and took off into the darkness.

Diamondhead looked back at John and was surprised to see him holding what looked like a big green ring in between his fingers. _Er...she didn't just propose or something to him right?_ He thought that for a brief moment before he saw John slip the ring onto his right middle finger. A sudden green glow surrounded John's entire body before his clothes turned into the green and black costume he was wearing the first time they met.

Diamondhead then pressed the Ultimatrix dial on his chest and changed back to normal, watching Green Lantern as he floated over, "I have to admit, that was pretty cool. That ring of yours is the source of your power huh?" Green Lantern merely nodded at Ben before they both joined the others at the supercomputer.

As Ben approached the screen, he saw what seemed like a very real simulation of what would happen to Earth if the hyperspace bypass succeeded in activating. A large pillar of light seemed to cut through the Earth and then from one end, a wave of crackling white electricity seemed to spread all across the planet before it imploded in on itself from two sides before finally exploding.

Bruce watched with careful calculation, his hands grasped together as he spoke, "Ingenious."

"Yeah. I'm impressed." Clark once again took off his glasses as he glanced down at Bruce, "Lets go wreck it."

"How?" Green Lantern crossed his arms, looking at Clark, "It's behind a force field."

"A force field controlled from the command ship." Bruce yanked his chair forward, his fingers dancing across the keyboard with practiced ease. A diagram of a Thanagarian ship popped up onto the large computer screen, a red flashing light appearing in the interior design of the ship, "Go shut it down. I'll take care of the generator."

Barry crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Bruce, "That thing's the size of a city, what are you going to do? Throw a batarang at it?"

Bruce faced them, a completely serious expression on his face, "Something like that." everyone's eyes turned to the giant computer screen as it suddenly started to flash red, the words 'Intruder Alert' appearing in giant bold letters across the screen.

"They must have tracked where we were when Shayera came to warn us. All of you, suit up. We'll have company in about eight minutes." Bruce got up and immediately headed for his spare suit while the others quickly changed.

**To Be Continued**

**Author's Note: Yes, if you are reading a story like this then you must be familiar with the most popular story under this subject. I was inspired to write this by reading The Incredible Muffin's story Ben Unlimited. And I guess that means also sandman7734's story. I did make a few changes, like Gwen being there and Ben being less aggressive or given less roles. It will happen again and I just wanted to write something like this too. Don't be too harsh. It's my first time writing something like this and I didn't expect it to be so much work. I hope you enjoyed it. And I loved the Supergirl X Ben pairing The Incredible Muffin did a fantastic job portraying so I'm keeping that. No idea about Gwen though...**


	2. Once A Hero, Always A Hero

**Disclaimer: Neither Ben 10 or any of it's products or characters belong to me. Justice League and any of it's products or characters do not belong to me either. Thank you for reading.**

**Author's Note: First of all, out of the first few people who read my story, a few people seem to dislike or are sick of the whole Kara X Ben pairing. While yes it is overdone I really do like the two pairings, but I might change my mind and perhaps pair him with someone else. It won't be anyone who appears in Young Justice because well...I want to try that too after this story. Might change in the future.**

**Author's Note #2: Yes, some of you noticed Wally West is not the Flash in this story. I am almost positive that Wally West was never supposed to be the Flash in the beginning of the making of the Justice League. The first Flash was supposed to be Barry Allen in the beginning of the Justice League. So that will stay no matter what. But as a result of this story the Young Justice universe might change a bit. **

Chapter 2: Once A Hero, Always A Hero

**Gotham City: Wayne Manor**

Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth had been the faithful butler and care taker of the Wayne family for many years. He had been here for happy times, the difficult times, and the most tragic of times. He had been here through his young master Bruce's grief when his parents died, recklessness as he grew up, anger as he truly faced the death of his parents, and finally his reincarnation into the hero known as, Batman.

He stood vigilantly during the nights his young master went out to make the world a better place while he was ironically more relaxed during the day when parties were attended and money was seemingly thrown about as his young master also played the billionaire playboy to hide his true night activities. He often thought of what the young master Bruce's parents would have thought about their only son going about, putting himself in danger and risking his life almost every night, and recently almost every day.

...They would, of course, have been proud of their son. As was he. He hoped that the late Thomas and Martha Wayne would not frown on his support of the young master driving himself so hard, while never really forming much of a social life or friendships, despite his heroic actions.

A knowing smile appeared on the old sage's lips as he put away the rest of the clean dishes, drying his hands off. He had indeed noticed the young master had started to...open up more, if that was the correct term, after forming the so called Justice League with the other heroes. Despite referring to himself as merely a part-timer, he had noticed that despite his reluctant nature, he worked together with the Justice League more often than not these days. A good sign if he did say so himself.

As Alfred started walking out of the kitchen and through the house, he started his way towards the large living room, intent on finishing his repairs on one of the young master's 'civilian' motorcycles when a sudden large engine noise rumbled right outside the large display windows. A blinding searchlight peered into the room moments later.

On instinct from having faced crisis while being around his young master's alter-ego, or perhaps his true face, the aged butler immediately took cover behind the two shelf bookshelf in the living room. He peeked out just in time to see Hawkmen and Hawkwomen pouring out of the drop ship.

"Good heavens!" Alfred managed to duck his head in time as the windows smashed open, the Thanagarian soldiers smoothly landing down on the ground. Alfred peeked over the bookshelf, noting with distaste the mess the Thanagarians made in the living room.

Hro Talak's adviser and a lieutenant of the Thanagarian forces, Kragger, stepped forward. Using his war axe, he slammed aside one of the expensive loft chairs. Not being one to cower and stand aside, Alfred immediately ran forward with his fists up, blocking Kragger's way.

While the Thanagarians were sacrificing the humans to survive, Kragger had no desire to fight someone with, first and foremost, no power whatsoever. He also had no desire to kill someone with such age but thought the old human was commendable for trying to put up a fight. Nonetheless, he was in the way.

Kragger immediately shot his hand out and grabbed the old butler's face and threw him aside onto the ground with enough force to knock him out. Already knowing where his destination was, Kragger headed straight for the grandfather clock that hid the secret entrance to the Batcave. He swiftly rammed his war axe into the clock and smashed it into a few pieces.

He eyed the metal door for a few moments before placing his hand on the cool surface, feeling the structure. A very strong, reinforced metal alloy. Even laser fire wouldn't be able to penetrate that. He moved aside and nodded his head at the Hawkwomen carrying an energized staff, one with enough power to melt any metal alloy. 

The soldier nodded and stepped towards the door, lifting the staff and ramming the energized end of it into the door. The metal heated up after one mere second and started to melt through. She dragged the staff all the way down before making her way up and curved it around to the other side. Cutting through the whole perimeter of the door before she swiftly kicked it down into a hot smoking mess. Kragger abruptly brushed past her and into the small staircase leading down into the cave.

The other Thanagarian soldiers immediately followed their leader, gripping their various weapons carefully as they moved in small groups throughout the cave.

Kragger looked around as he started to hover down onto one section of the cave, "Spread out." he landed down alongside four of his soldiers, peering around the dimly lit cave, "Their hiding here somewhere."

Just as the Thanagarians started spreading out amongst the darkness, a thin green blast sliced through the barrel of a laser cannon one of the Hawkmen were carrying, "Uh-uh. All through hiding." Green Lantern's shining emerald eyes glowed in the shadows of the cave.

Suddenly a voice echoed in the darkness, a slight Romanian accent laced into his voice, "It is you, my feathered friends, who should be hiding."

One of the Hawkmen suddenly cried out in pain, startling the rest of the soldiers to turn towards him. They looked on in slight horror as their fellow soldier was in the grips of a bizarre looking creature, it's fangs currently sunk into the neck of their comrade. He seemed to get a bit pale as his body went limp, his energy drained, dropping his own laser cannon onto the ground.

The creature had a large head with greenish-white skin and sharp yellow teeth along with shining sickly green eyes unlike Green Lanterns burning bright emerald ones. He wore what looked like a black and green jumpsuit with a green chest plate. He had on black gloves with green pointed claws and a green mask with spikes along the sides and chin, two long ones forming a V shape on top of his forehead. Under his arms, he had green flaps resembling the wings of a bat similar to a wingsuit. The Ultimatrix dial was right under where his belly button would have been, worn like a belt buckle.

Whampire smirked at the Thanagarian soldiers, licking his fangs for the fear factor, "Mm...tastes like chicken."

Green Lantern raised his right fist, glaring at the Thanagarians, "Come and get some."

The Hawkmen immediately flew into action, charging up their various weapons. A few fired their laser rifles and pistols at Green Lantern while the ones with maces, spears, and axes attempted to slice at Whampire. A green glow immediately covered Green Lantern as he took to the air and fired a blast of energy into the face of one of the soldiers, knocking him down.

Wonder Woman jumped from the shadows, spinning her lasso around before expertly wrapping it around one of the Hawkmen's ankles, yanking him down towards her. She spun him around over her head before slinging him away.

J'onn phased through the floor, lifting his right arm up as he solidified and promptly close-lined the Hawkmen thrown by Wonder Woman.

Gwen formed flat purple platforms in the air, stepping from one to another as she formed temporary stairs for herself. As she reached her desired height she started chucking spheres of purple mana into any Hawkmen flying in the air, knocking them down or at least disarming them.

Meanwhile Flash was zipping around the cave, grabbing the spear of a Hawkman trying to pierce him and jumping over it, delivering a kick into his face. Another soldier carefully aimed his laser pistol at Flash but soon screamed out in agony as Superman zoomed in front of him and smashed his hands onto the barrel of the laser and the trigger. The heat from the blast caused the Hawkman immense pain while Superman barely felt a thing from taking the full blast to his palm.

Superman drew back his right hand and spoke to the soldier in a calm tone, mockery laced into his voice, "Lets use our inside voice." he then slammed his fist into the soldier's face, sending him flying back into a large stalactite.

Flash zipped around the cave as two of the Thanagarian soldiers attempted to blast him with a large laser cannon. The speedster proved too fast as he dodged the beam and zipped behind them, smiling as he rotated his arms in circles rapidly, causing a large wind tunnel to blast the soldiers into the very large coin statue among Batman's souvenirs.

The large statue shook then promptly slammed down on top of the two soldiers, crushing them before Flash zipped on top of it. Putting his hands on his hips he looked down at the coin, "Tails." he said smugly, "I win."

Batman fired a grappling hook into the ceiling, swinging himself up and towards a Hawkman firing a cannon at him. He dodged it easily before slamming both his feet into the face of the soldier, knocking him to the ground. As soon as he landed on the floor he let loose three batarangs, watching them zip through the air and pierce the chest plates of three Thanagarian soldiers charging him with a spear and two maces.

As the batarangs merely blinked orange and beeped faintly, the male Thanagarian in the middle looked at Batman with contempt, "Your weapons are pitiful."

Batman stood up straight with his hands by his sides as he glared at the Thanagarians with a hint of a smirk on his lips, "Wait for it."

Soon, hundreds of little eyes blinked open in the shadows behind the Dark Knight, the dark winged creatures screeching as they swarmed out. The bats engulfed the three Thanagarians in a mess of dark wings, driven by the hypersonic signal being emitted by the batarangs. As they scratched and bit into every spot of exposed skin, the Thanagarians cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground.

Whampire dodged left and right, smirking at Kragger before swinging his leg up and viciously slamming his ax out of his hand. He then shot his arms out and grabbed each of Kragger's arms, staring deep into his eyes. His sickly green eyes seemed to swirl mystically as he spoke in a hypnotic tone, "Sleep."

Kragger resisted for a few moments before letting out a drawn out groan, his shoulders slumping and his head lolling back.

Whampire then dropped the lieutenant onto the ground before joining the others, who were cleaning up their respective opponents. Batman spared a glance at Whampire before making his way towards the stairs, "Lets go."

As everyone made their ways out of the cave and into the living room, they saw Alfred sweeping up broken glass and depositing them into the trash can. As Batman passed him, he looked up with his usual calm, "Mind the glass sir."

As they all neared the large broken windows, Batman turned to Green Lantern, "I want you, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Whampire to go to the command ship and shut down the force field."

"And the rest of us?" J'onn looked at Batman with his usual unreadable expression.

Batman looked at J'onn, not even blinking, "You're going to help me retake the Watchtower."

Whampire paused. During his meal with Diana and Gwen, as well as his tour of the Batcave, he was told about the supposed giant space satellite base the Justice League had orbiting around Earth. Although he wasn't really that surprised, or impressed, considering he had been on many space satellite bases and even a space satellite training ground, he was curious to see what it was like.

Flash zipped in front of Batman, raising an eyebrow, "It's crawling with Thanagarian soldiers. How do you plan on getting inside?"

Turning his head towards the Thanagarian drop ship right outside his living room window, Batman spoke with a matter-of-fact voice, "With that."

A thought occurred to Whampire as he stepped forward, holding his hand in the air, "Wait a second, I don't want to...separate from Gwen. Let her come with me."

Batman glared at Whampire before speaking, "Can Gwen fly?"

Whampire blinked a few times before answering, "Um...well usually no but-" Batman cut him off sharply, "Then what are you going to do, carrying Gwen the whole way to Metropolis then fight the Thanagarian air defenses while carrying her on your back?"

Everyone watched the two with concern as Whampire glared at Batman, "Fine, then let me come with you to the Watchtower. I am sure Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern are more than enough to take down some command ship."

Batman pointed his hand out the window, keeping a steady glare on Whampire, "In a few hours, possibly minutes, the whole planet will be reduced to nothing. Do you think I am sending Wonder Woman, Superman, _and_ Green Lantern to take down the command ship because you believe I think one of them isn't enough to handle it? I am sending you all because we have no chance to screw up. Because the fate of the world is in our hands. Whatever issue you are going through, get over them now because we don't have the time. Deal with them later."

Just as Whampire was about to tell Batman off, Gwen stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her, "Ben, I promise I'll be alright... I'll be alright. I know that you are strong and that you'll come back to me, no matter what. Don't treat me like some fragile doll, you know I can take care of myself. So go and do your job and I'll do mine. Okay? Remember what Grandpa said... Responsibility."

Whampire stared at Gwen for a few moments before nodding, reaching up to squeeze Gwen's arm gently, "Sorry Gwen... I guess after everything that happened, I'm a little...overprotective."

Gwen gave him a soft smile before getting up on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around Whampire's neck to give him a warm hug, "I know Ben...I know."

Everyone watched the two in a mix of awkwardness and warmth before they separated. Ben nodded at the three who he was going with before giving Gwen one last smile and pushing the Ultimatrix dial on his stomach, "Jet Ray!"

In place of Whampire stood a red, humanoid, manta ray like alien with two black lightning bolt-like stripes coming down from his shoulders to the Ultimatrix dial on his chest. He had two yellow horns extending from each side of his nose and stood at about the same height as Ben was in his human form. He had gills along his sides and yellow wings connected from underneath his arms to his sides like a wingsuit, resembling bat-like wings with three long fingers at the ends. He had a long red tail trailing from near his bottom and three long toed feet.

His voice was slightly distorted like he was speaking into a fan and pitched a bit higher, his Ultimatrix dial glowed on his chest. He opened his arms up before looking back at Gwen, "Stay safe."

Gwen nodded and waved at him as he pushed off into the air and flew fast after the other three who already left. She then turned to Flash who gave her a wink before zipping outside next to Batman who was already working on getting the Thanagarian ship open. J'onn placed a comforting hand on Gwen's shoulder before flying outside as well. _This is going to be a long day._

o.o

J'onn had his hands on top of the computer console inside the Thanagarian ship, staring at the control blankly. Batman hovered over his left shoulder, looking down at the controls with his cape completely shrouding the upper half of his body. Flash stood over J'onn's right shoulder, his hands behind his back as he looked at J'onn.

After a few moments of nothing, Batman finally spoke, "Well?"

J'onn sat up straight, speaking in his matter-of-fact tone, "I have no idea how to fly this vehicle."

Flash looked away from J'onn, looking over the ship's controls in interest before reaching out and pressing a large white button, "What's this do?" the ship's forward cannons shot out a large yellow beam and destroyed a large portion of the living room wall, barely missing Alfred who had his left arm over his face to shield himself from the sudden blast.

Barry had the decency to look sorry before cringing back from Batman's scowling face, pushing the speedster back against the front windshield as he gritted out from between his clenched teeth, "That's. Not. Helping."

J'onn had his right hand cupping his chin, thinking for a few moments while ignoring Flash's antics before turning to the two, having come to a solution, "I'll need one of the Hawkmen."

Gwen was looking around the ship, placing her hands over some of the controls, trying to recognize some of them. She actually did recognize a few gadgets here and there, smiling fondly as she remembered listening to Kevin describe multiple tools around the Rust Bucket jet they used to fly around in.

Gwen suddenly placed her hand onto her chest, feeling the familiar pangs of hurt shooting through her body. Remembering Kevin made her remember every sweet moment she had with him, remembering every sweet moment she had with him made her remember the explosion she had seen in the sky and the feeling of loss and loneliness at the realization that she couldn't sense his mana anywhere.

She remembered, remembered trying to call him on his cellphone. Then she tried tracking him with a Plumber's badge before finally resorting to trying to track his mana through the ring he had given her, the ring he had said belonged to his father and one he had never left home without on a necklace or at least nearby. She remembered trying with growing desperation as she repeatedly looked for his mana before finally collapsing into a fit of tears.

Gwen jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around with a small gasp. Flash lifted his hands up in the air in surrender, looking at her in surprise, "Whoa there red, calm down. You alright? You were...just standing there looking like...you were in pain. Are you hurt or something?"

Gwen blinked a few times, managing to swallow down the lump in her throat and the tears that had almost fallen from her eyes, "No...no I'm fine. I was...just in deep thought. Where's Batman?"

Flash pointed left his thumb towards the open door of the ship, "Batman went to get one of the Hawkmen so J'onn can hopefully pull some information out of their thick skulls."

When Gwen merely blinked at the speedster he snapped his fingers, "Oh right, with all that has been going on, you and your cousin don't really know our abilities do you?" the speedster grinned and started making his way out the door, indicating for Gwen to follow him.

As the half-Anodite and speedster exited the ship, he continued to explain, "Well you see J'onn is a Martian of many, many different talents. He has the ability to shape shift into any person, any creature, any form. He can turn intangible and phase through many objects, has super strength, the ability to fly. And the most useful? He has telepathic powers. Though he tries his very best to never enter someone's mind without their permission. But...against criminals and bad guys, he won't hesitate to break down the door, if you know what I mean."

Flash gestured to the sky, "J'onn here came all the way from Mars to warn us of an impending alien invasion from a bunch of parasitic aliens who had attacked Mars. When the Martians had beat the aliens and sealed them away, they thought it was the end but...the prison the aliens were kept in was disturbed by an earthquake the Mars Rover unknowingly caused. Fleeing from the Martians and their nerve gas, they targeted Earth next. With the help from J'onn, we managed to repel the alien invaders and he decided to stay with us to form the Justice League."

Gwen's gaze traveled to the Martian Manhunter standing a few feet away, a bit awestruck at the powers he possessed. The most impressive, and perhaps the most disturbing to her, was his power of telepathy Flash so graciously described to her. The thought of her mind being invaded and her most deepest thoughts read sent a shiver down her spine.

Noting the slightly worried look on Gwen's face, Flash immediately changed the subject, slightly regretting his words. He always had a knack for talking, even with his enemies, "And then there's me. Flash, the fastest man alive! I can run all the way to China in a few second from here. I am idolized in Central City and I even have my own red haired news reporter who showers me with praise. Personally I think, no, I know I am faster than Supes."

Gwen blinked then smiled, shaking her head, "You talk so fast, I think you speed up with every sentence you say. Is that unintentional or were you just trying to be funny?" When Barry gave her a wink she smiled a little wider. The speedster was funny and warm, like a big ball of sunshine. Even his mana felt warm and it vibrated with energy.

Before further conversation could go on Batman jumped out of the large hole in his living room, courtesy of Flash, and onto the ground with Kragger held firmly in front of him with his hands cuffed behind his back and his wings trapped between his arms. He then shoved the Thanagarian lieutenant forward before throwing his back against the ship.

The four heroes stepped up in front of the trapped Thanagarian, glaring down at him. He defiantly looked up at them with pride, sneering at them, "You think I'd tell you anything? I'd sooner choke on your bones."

Flash let out a small growl and grabbed Kragger's armor, lifting him up and raising his fist at the same time, "Okay by me, start with these?"

J'onn immediately grabbed Flash's arm, "We are running out of time. I'll take the information from him." he turned to Kragger as Flash dropped his arm and the Thanagarian.

"I thought you couldn't read their minds?"

J'onn's eyes glowed menacingly as he peered down at Kragger, reaching both his hands out and onto Kragger's head as he spoke ominously, "I'll just have to try...harder."

Gwen watched in fascination and a mix of fright as she sensed J'onn rip into the Thanagarian soldier's mind, Kragger's eyes widening and mouth hanging open. Only a few moments passed when suddenly J'onn cried out in pain, three large gashes appearing on his face, as if some animal had clawed at him. She gasped as six gashes appeared on his back, then three on his right arm and then three on his left.

"Something's attacking him!" Gwen stepped forward but Batman shot his arm out, stopping her, "Let him be, he can do this."

Gwen looked at J'onn with concern as more and more wounds appeared all over his body. She watched as his hands seemed to burn and cuts increasingly appeared all over his body before finally Kragger cried out in pain before collapsing.

J'onn let out a gasp, staggering for a few moments before standing up straight, his wounds healing up instantly. Batman went up to J'onn who spoke up with a tired expression, "I have what we need..."

Gwen looked at Kragger with a bit of fright, noting his catatonic state. So this is what a proper telepath could do to someone, especially with using so much brute force to enter someone's mind. She reached out with her mana, wrapping Kragger in a tendril of purple mana and laying him down on the grass a few feet away. She then followed the others onto the ship, buckling in as J'onn expertly started the ship and took off.

Meanwhile, Alfred had stepped outside, his hands behind his back as he walked up to the catatonic lieutenant with some distaste. He leaned over the Hawkman, raising his eyebrows as he spoke with his usual tone, despite nobody being around, "I've asked Master Bruce to refrain from leaving trash in the yard..."

**Aboard the Thanagarian Command Ship**

Shayera sat on the low circular seat in the middle of the holding room, her head hung down with her eyes closed. A force shield hummed around her, the energy around her shimmering as she waited patiently for her fate to be decided. She had no regrets about what she did, she did what was right. It might not have been what was right for her people...but it was right none the less.

Her eyes opened and she looked up as the doors hissed, indicating someone had come to see her. She already knew who it was before opening her eyes, standing up to come face to face with Talak. She could see his stress, the strain he was suffering through as he walked up to her. It broke her heart to see him like this, a former shell of the proud, strong, confident warrior she had first met.

When he spoke his voice was firm and strong, like the commander she knew, "Why would you do this?"

She stared right back at him, having already gone through this in her head, "I'm trying to save lives."

Talak didn't waver, watching her with those same commanding eyes, "So am I. Tens of billions of Thanagarians." he moved closer, his voice rising.

Shayera stepped a bit closer, glaring at him a little, "So we trade the humans' lives for our own?"

"War makes for hard choices, lieutenant." Talak spoke in that militaristic tone again, looking at her not as another Thanagarian or even the woman he had loved, but as a soldier, "It's them or us."

Shayera shook her head slightly, "The man I fell in love with would have found another way..." her gaze softened a little, hoping to change his mind.

Then, like the stubborn and hard headed man he was, his mind jumped to another conclusion, "Are you talking about me, or Green Lantern?"

Taken off guard, Shayera stared at Talak in silence for a few moments before closing her eyes and looking down, her silence all the answer he needed.

Finally a slightly hurt tone entered his voice as he spoke, "I didn't want to believe it... Shayera, I love you. I can forgive your treason." Shayera crossed her arms, shaking her head slightly, "I can forgive everything." Talak placed his right gauntlet onto the force field, making the energy turn slightly red, "Make this all go away..."

Shayera's eyes opened wide as she took a step back, looking at Talak in surprise as he spoke with some desperation, "Just tell me what I need to hear! It was a meaningless flirtation! You were lonely... Tell me I'm the one you love! Not. Him!" he leaned in closer, an almost begging tone laced into his wide eyes.

Shayera stepped a little closer, making one last attempt to change Talak's mind, "If you want me, I'm yours. All you have to do is spare the Earth." She knew it was a long shot, she knew Talak wasn't the kind of man who would just abandon such a grand plan at the whim of winning her of all people, but she had to try.

Talak looked at her for a moment, his hope leaving his eyes as he pulled his hand back. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the force field, "Perhaps you will forget him when Earth is nothing but a memory." he spoke in a cold tone, turning away from her and heading out the door. Right after he had exited, spikes thrust out of the holes all along the edge of the door frame and blocked the exit, leaving Shayera to stand there alone with her thoughts.

**Space: Outside the Watchtower**

J'onn smoothly piloted the stolen ship towards the Watchtower occupied by the Thanagarian troops before he slowly morphed his body to take on the appearance of Kragger perfectly. From his wings to his armor and body he resembled the Thanagarian lieutenant in every way.

He spoke into the comm in Kragger's voice, typing in the docking codes he has pulled from the lieutenant's mind as he spoke, "Shuttle Elipson sixteen, requesting entry. Confirm docking code."

He received an immediate response from the soldier on duty, "Docking code confirmed, you are clear to come aboard." J'onn eased the ship into the docking bay, landing down carefully before unbuckling and stepping down the ramp towards the two Thanagarian soldiers with maces.

One of the soldiers spoke up with a bit of surprise but enough diligence to sound respectful, "We weren't expecting you sir."

'Kragger' stared at the two soldiers as he spoke in a calm voice, "There has been a change of plans." immediately after he finished speaking, J'onn slowly morphed into a muscular blue cyclopes with horns and charged the two Thanagarians with a mighty roar, ramming his fist into them and sending them flying into the wall.

Another Thanagarian soldier immediately lifted his laser rifle to shoot the Martian but a batarang swished out and knocked the weapon away from his hands. A large tendril of purple mana shot out from the ship and crashed into the soldier, pushing him back with quite a bit of force before he slammed into the metal wall.

At the noise from the three guards being attacked, a battalion of Hawkmen flew out of the main doors on the far side of the hangar. Not wasting any time, Flash zipped past his companions and started wailing away at the Thanagarians one after another with his super speed. Gwen started chucking balls of mana one after another at the flying Thanagarians, knocking them out of the air into unconsciousness or for Flash to finish them off. Batman gripped his shock pad knuckles and started knocking out the Hawk soldiers with electrifying punches. J'onn, with sheer brute force, rammed his own fists into any guard who got near him.

**Thanagarian Command Ship**

"Commander, the Justice League is approaching!" Talak looked up at the holographic screen as one of his soldiers spoke up with urgency, a display of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and yet again, another unknown creature approaching the ship.

Talak placed his hands on his hips, watching the screen as if he had expected them to come, "Kragger's strike squad has failed. Launch interceptors." at his command, hundreds of fighter ships immediately launched from the command ship, swarming around the ship like bees around a beehive.

Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes at the defense around the command ship, "Pretty bad odds."

"Four against four hundred? Oh please, this is overkill. Why don't two of you just hang back?" Jet Ray's voice piped up from under Superman.

Superman glared at the ships, moving up a bit faster, "Yeah. They don't stand a chance."

The four heroes quickly dived into the swarm of fighters, Wonder Woman and Superman just allowed their bodies to ram through the fighters like paper while Green Lantern sent out multiple blasts of green energy from his ring to destroy several fighters at the same time. Jet Ray was even faster than the fighters swarming around him, using his neuroshock blasts to cut through the squadrons by the dozens.

**Watchtower**

J'onn held a Thanagarian soldier up in the air by his armor, his other hand on his hip while Gwen held another up with a claw made of mana. Flash stood up proudly, one hand on his hip while the other was pressed up to his comm, "Okay. The Watchtower is ours again." He then zipped away towards the main controls as J'onn and Gwen dropped the Thanagarians they were holding onto the ground.

Flash stopped behind Batman, one brow raised with a hand on his hip as he watched Batman fiddle with the computer, "So where's your secret weapon?"

"You're standing in it."

Flash's mouth opened slightly, his eyes widening, "Wait...you mean we're gonna-"

Before Flash could finish his sentence, Batman cut him off, typing rapidly into the computer, "Take the Watchtower out of orbit and drop it right on top of their science project." Gwen let out a quiet gasp, her eyes widening, "What about the people down there? The people around the bypass?"

"The bypass should have been abandoned by now, it's set to activate remotely or the Thanagarians would be destroyed with it. Besides, for the greater good, small sacrifices must be made. If there are people down there..." he glanced back at the unconscious Thanagarian soldiers before turning back to the computer, "Get them to the escape pods." the whole station shook as the primary thrusters blasted the Watchtower out of orbit and on a course towards the hyperspace bypass.

Having no time to argue and not possibly seeing a better way to save the planet on the time limit they had, Flash, J'onn, and Gwen started moving any Thanagarian soldier they could find to the escape pods before launching them. With one escape pod left, Flash zipped around the whole Watchtower in a few seconds before moving into the escape pod with two more soldier as J'onn and Gwen placed a few onto the floor.

J'onn glanced at Flash while Gwen gently laid out the Thanagarians, "Is that the last of them?"

Flash started to dust his hands together, grinning as he looked over his handiwork, "Yeah, the tower is completely pest free."

"Good." all three of the unsuspecting heroes whipped around as they heard a beep then the sound of the escape pod's doors closing shut and launching away from the Watchtower. Flash pressed against the door, "Hey!"

As the pod drifted away, Gwen pressed against the glass besides Flash as J'onn yelled in a panicked voice, "What are you doing!?"

Batman's voice came out on the intercom aboard the escape pod as he met the solemn gazes of each hero, his finger pressed to the button besides the door, "I can't have the Watchtower burn up on reentry. I'll have to guide it in manually."

At his words, J'onn and Flash's mouths fell open slightly with wide eyes as Gwen banged her fists on the window, "Batman! No!" she screamed the last word, drawing it out as she banged against the reinforced windows.

"Gentlemen. Gwen. It's been an honor." With that, Batman turned away and headed back towards the main computer while Flash dropped down with a droop in his shoulders, resting his elbows on his knees as he gazed at the floor in awe. J'onn merely looked down at Flash with sorrow while Gwen continued to stare out the window.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Again. She couldn't help remembering Kevin telling her he was going to take the Rust Bucket 3 and check out Vilgax's armada. The next thing she knew, the mothership had blown up and Kevin was gone.

She banged her fists against the window again and pressed her forehead against the cool glass, slowly sinking to her knees. Flash scooted closer, placing a comforting arm over her shoulders as Gwen let out her tears.

**Thanagarian Command Ship**

Superman fired his heat vision from his eyes, shooting down fighter after fighter. Wonder Woman continued to bash her fists through every Thanagarian fighter that got in her way like paper, jumping on top of one and ripping it's main cannon out. She flew up into the air and wielded the oversized cannon like a machine gun and started to rapidly fire it around the swarm of fighters.

Jet Ray flew with his super sonic speed left and right, up and down the fleet. His neuroshocks continued to tear apart the fighters but also started to destroy defensive cannons on the main command ship while ripping little chunks off, piece by piece.

Gathering up his Will, Green Lantern created what appeared to be a giant electrical drill, the image quickly spinning as it whirred to life and rammed into the hull of the ship. The ship's outer layer creaked and finally ripped apart as he dug in further and further until he was fully through.

As soon as the opening was made, Green Lantern swooped into the command ship and created giant clamps with his ring, gripping two Thanagarian soldiers and throwing them into a wall.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, one of the soldiers in the control room pulled up a holographic feed of Green Lantern blasting through the corridors, "Intruder alert. All available security forces to the engineering deck!"

Talak growled, "Belay that!" he turned on his heels, the war axe in his hand crackling with electricity as he made his way towards the main doors, "Green Lantern is _mine_."

**Watchtower**

High above, the giant satellite base known as the Watchtower blasted into the upper atmosphere with the thrusters set to maximum. Batman ran into the main control room, moving up to the console and slamming his hand down on the emergency shutters. The computer read in big red letters 'Close Shutters' as the heavy, reinforced blast shutters crackled with electricity as they shut over the windows.

Batman's fingers glided across the keyboard as an image of the Earth appeared on the screen, the words 'Projected Course' flashing briefly on the screen. The command chair slid up behind him as he took his seat, arrows and projection courses appearing over the image of the Earth and the Watchtower. It confirmed the impact target as he strapped himself in firmly. A steering wheel for the satellite popped out of the console, shoving two large handles out to him as the screen turned into a direct view of the front of the Watchtower along with a green course projection guideline.

If he had known this was how his life was going to end, he might have quite possibly asked Diana for another 'fake' kiss. Probably not.

He briefly thought about how he left almost half of his fortune to Alfred and the other half to charities. Would Wayne enterprises become corrupt like other large corporations? He hoped not. What would become of Gotham, filled with sick psychopaths like the Joker? Clark probably had it covered. Or maybe Green Lantern. Or Diana. Or J'onn. Or maybe even Flash. Hell, maybe even the kids.

Perhaps some youth who had gone through the same pain he had, would take up his mantel? Become the new Batman, but in a whole new way.

After a minute of contemplating all of these thing, Batman immediately refocused on the task at hand, his fingers wrapping around the controls in determination. He had a job to do and he would see it through. Even to the very end.

**Thanagarian Command Ship**

Superman latched onto one of the fighters flying by him, grabbing onto the edge with an iron grip and spinning it around with a yell before throwing it at the bridge of the ship. The pointed ends of the fighter rammed into the glass, forming cracks around the pointed edges that penetrated the thick glass.

Wonder Woman, seeing an opportunity, flew forward with gusto and slammed her fists into the back of the fighter, ramming it through the glass and into the control room. The fighter crashed around the bridge, collapsing a platform and a pillar before exploding into fire and smoke. Wonder Woman flew through the wreckage, Jet Ray right behind her as they flew through the doors and into a corridor splitting off left and right.

Wonder Woman landed on the ground, looking from side to side. Jet Ray landed next to her, his long pointed fingers scratching his cheek, "Which way? Eenie, meenie, minee, moe?"

Wonder Woman had her hands on her hips, looking left and right before shaking her head, "We'll have to split up. I'll go right, you go left. One of us is bound to find the force field control. With Green Lantern also somewhere on the ship, our odds get better."

Jet Ray nodded at her before lifting his hand up to his Ultimatrix dial and slamming his hand onto it. Wonder Woman briefly shielded her eyes from the light before it died down. Her eyes widened when, in the place of Jet Ray, stood a very large humanoid tiger, "Rath!"

He was about nine feet tall, resembling an orange and white tiger with one long sharp claw coming out of each wrist. He had no tail but was quite muscular with green eyes. He had black stripes all along his shoulders, head, legs, and upper body. His jaw, neck, chest, hands, and feet were white.

Rath let out a ferocious roar, raising his hands into the air, "You know what, Rath doesn't care if he has to rip this whole ship apart. Rath ain't gonna rest until he finds those stinkin force field controls and teaches them a violent lesson, in pain! Rath will rip apart any stupid chicken men he meets, and destroy their stupid, pathetic chicken king! King of chickens! Chicken noodle soup!"

Wonder Woman blinked at his sudden drastic personality change, especially the quite intense aura he was emanating. Before she could speak however, instead of going down the left corridor like they discussed, he rammed his fist into the metal wall and ripped a giant hole in it, smashing his way through. She supposed that was one way to search the ship.

Though the noise he was making attracted quite a few Thanagarian security forces now coming down the hall to her right. Cracking her knuckles, Wonder Woman flew right into the middle of the squad of soldiers, punching and kicking them all over the corridor. She picked up one of their swords, twisting the familiar weapon around her hand before swiftly swiping the blade through the Hawkmen ranks, throwing them aside like rag dolls.

She quickly made her way down the hall, holding the blade in her hand carefully. Three Hawkmen spotted her and immediately made a run for her but were quickly slammed back by her power. She was about to make her way down the hall when to her right, she spotted a holding cell with an all too familiar Thanagarian inside.

Shayera Hol, once known to the Justice League as Hawkgirl, stood inside the force field, helpless.

Due to her banishment from Themyscira and the fame of her being Wonder Woman, she did not have the opportunity to make friends with, well anyone. Especially women. Shayera Hol not only shared her passion for justice and righteousness but was also a proud and strong warrior, much like her sisters on Themyscira. She went as far as to consider the winged woman one of her sisters, her first best friend outside of the Amazon island. But she had spat on that bond, stepped on it and utterly dishonored it with her treachery. In Themyscira, your sisters were not your sisters because they were bound by blood but because they were bound by honor, by comradery, by respect, and by their bonds. The dishonoring and disgracing of a bond could end in a duel, often times to the death. They took betrayal very seriously and though this was not Themyscira, Hawkgirl's actions could not be so easily forgiven.

Shayera's wide yellow-green eyes stared at Wonder Woman through the force field surrounding her and past the bars of the doorway, their eyes briefly meeting before Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes at her former friend, "I should leave you to burn."

After a few moments she brought her blade down on the control panel, shutting off the force field and unlocking the door at the same time. Shayera looked at her in surprise before Wonder Woman abruptly ran down the corridor to her left.

Resolving herself, Shayera ran forward, making her way out and picking up a fallen soldier's mace before jumping into the air, flapping her wings as she made her way towards the shield controls.

**Thanagarian Command Ship: Engineering Deck**

Green Lantern pierced the middle of the force field control room doors before prying them apart and quickly running inside. Resistance was more fierce than he thought and it took him longer than he had liked to get here.

As soon as he had entered though, a voice rang out throughout the room, "The force field control is over here." Green Lantern looked up, pointing his ring at the voice. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the form of Hro Talak glide down onto the floor in front of him, blocking his path to the shield control.

"That is what you came for, yes? You want it?" Talak raised his war axe, watching Green Lantern intently, "All you have to do is get by me."

Green Lantern scowled and raised his right fist, "It'll be a pleasure." he fired one beam of green laser at Hro, who promptly sliced it with his ax.

"No." Hro glared at Green Lantern with fury in his eyes, "This won't be like the last time when you took something that belonged to me."

Not in the mood to discuss who took whose girl and what misunderstanding or betrayal went on with who and who ever, Green Lantern merely goaded Hro on, "Whatever I took, was freely offered. Maybe you should take better care of your _stuff_." he then fired a barrage of green blasts at Hro, all of which were blocked and deflected.

Green Lantern then took to the air, his body glowing with the energy of the ring. Hro immediately took flight after him, swinging his war axe down at Green Lantern who brought his right arm up to form a green energy kite shield with his ring.

Hro cried out as he brought his ax down again and again onto Green Lantern's shield, making a big gash on the top of the shield, right down the middle. He then swiped his ax to the side and slammed Green Lantern towards the ground, forcing him to lean back as Hro once again brought his ax down onto the shield, pushing him back.

With the shield wavering, Hro brought his ax over his head, gripping it with two hands to perform an overhead swing. He slammed his war axe down, forcing Green Lantern to dodge to the right as the ax rammed into the floor, devastating it with cracks as energy rippled out of the ax and into the floor.

Before Green Lantern could recover from dodging the attack, Hro immediately ran forward and viciously back handed Lantern across the room. Green Lantern attempted to swing his fist at Hro but was punched in the face with a lot of force, sending him flying into a metal tank of gas. The machinery behind him crackled with smoke and electricity as Hro immediately moved forward and grabbed Lantern's throat, lifting him up into the air.

"I've beaten you, little man." Hro sneered at Green Lantern, narrowing his eyes at the man who stole his betrothed and even caused her to betray her own people, "Any last words?" he lifted his war axe, the metal blade crackling with electricity.

Green Lantern opened his emerald eyes and glared down at Hro, "Yeah, you can kiss my ax!" his ring glowed as he formed his own war axe in his right hand and lifted it up just as Hro lifted his own ax up. Green Lantern blocked Hro's ax with his own, both of the men slashing at each other as their axes met with a clang and crackle.

o.o

Shayera made her way down the corridor, not having met many soldiers along the way, at least conscious ones. Diana was really inflicting some damage. She skidded to a halt when suddenly, three Thanagarian soldiers slammed through the wall right in front of her and crashed into a pile of unconscious limbs in the far corner. Her eyes widened further when through the freshly made hole, a nine foot tall humanoid tiger stepped through, roaring.

When he spotted her, he snarled and immediately charged at her. She dropped the mace in her hands and raised them up in surrender, screaming, "Wait!" With amazing reflexes, the tiger just managed to stop his pointed claw from coming down on her face, much to her relief.

The tiger pulled his hand back, growling at her before crossing his arms, "Okay, but make it quick. Rath doesn't have a lot of time before the hyperspace thinga ma jig goes off and destroys the planet. Rath likes this planet and really really wants it to stay right here. So speak quickly before Rath decides to pummel you to bits!"

Shayera blinked several times before Rath growled at her again. Getting over her shock, she started to speak quickly, "I don't know if you know me, but my name is Shayera Hol... I...used to be part of the Justice League. I..."

Rath suddenly cut her off, pointing his finger at her, "Ah! You're that...that red haired chick that came to the cave! Gave Bats that purple cassette tape and then proposed to Lantern! Uh...I mean...gave Lantern his power ring back!"

Shayera outright ignored the proposal comment and nodded, looking at Rath carefully, "Do I...know you?" she couldn't remember meeting this creature, she was sure she would remember something with such...personality. Not to mention he was a giant, talking, violent tiger.

"Oh yeah! You have no clue who Rath is! Well Rath is Rath! Rath is the strongest, just know Rath is a friend of the Justice League. If Rath remembers right though, the Justice League doesn't think you're a friend. What are you doing here?!" Rath almost spat the words at her in the end and she resisted the urge to smile. She couldn't help remembering Grundy while listening to this creature talk, the way he referred to himself in the third person and the simplistic way he spoke.

When she didn't answer, Rath growled and took a menacing step towards her. She held up her mace, the end crackling with electricity, "I am not here to fight, I am here to help. I know where the force field control is. I don't want this world to be destroyed or let the people here die. I know it will not excuse my actions, but I did what I thought was right in the line of duty at the time. Now, I am fighting to do what I believe is right once more."

Rath glared into her eyes for a few moments before snarling and turning away, "Whatever, Rath doesn't really know what went on with you, and Rath doesn't really care right now. Rath just wants that force field gone! So if you want to help Rath, then fine! Help Rath! But Rath is warning you right here, right now. You try to double cross Rath, you better be sure you kill him. Because if you don't..." he turned on her, pushing his face really close as a growl rumbled from his throat, "Rath will rip you apart and stuff those pretty wings down. Your. Throat."

Shayera didn't even blink at his threat but nodded before hefting her mace and running down the corridor, Rath right behind her.

o.o

Green Lantern slammed his green ax across Hro's own war axe and bashed it across the room before bring the blunt side of his ax up under Hro's chin like an uppercut. He dissolved the war axe and stared at Hro as he rubbed his chin before throwing a punch at Green Lantern.

Calling upon his military training, Green Lantern ducked under the wide punch and threw his own counter, slamming his fist into Hro's solar plex, causing him to hunch over in pain. Taking advantage of the opening, Green Lantern delivered a vicious left hook onto Hro's face before following up with a right hook then a left once more. He then finished him off with a right uppercut, reinforced by a slight blast from his power ring, sending Hro flying back and into a computer console.

Green Lantern watched the smoke and crackling of electricity, spotting Hro's supposed unconscious body on the ground before turning towards the force field control. There was actually a force field around the force field control so Lantern had no choice but to start firing a beam from his power ring into one focused point of the force field.

After that fierce battle, he could feel his body aching but he willed himself to focus as he grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, intensifying the beam cutting through the force field.

Just as he saw the field let up, Hro spoke up from his right, "Big mistake." Hro's war axe slammed down onto Green Lantern's power ring, cutting the front emblem piece of the ring off while at the same, fracturing his arm.

Lantern cried out in pain, his right arm shaking as he looked towards Hro who slammed his left fist across Lantern's face. Lantern slid across the floor with a groan, his eyes closing as he blacked out. Hro stood over Green Lantern, looking down at him with hatred before bringing his war axe over his head with two hands, ready to swing it down onto the Lantern's own head.

Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, Shayera ran into the room, screaming his name, "Hro! Enough! The fights over, you're a soldier, not a murderer."

Hro turned to Shayera, a look of anger appearing on his face. Just as he was about to deliver a vicious backhand across Shayera's face, a very large orange hand clamped down on Hro's arm. Hro looked up in surprise as Rath's snarling face leaned very close to his own, "That is the last mistake you'll ever make."

Without warning, Rath's other fist came up full swing and slammed a jaw breaking uppercut onto Hro's chin. He kept a tight grip on Hro's arm with his other hand, preventing the Thanagarian from flying back. Dazed and his vision slightly spinning, Hro didn't have time to think as another vicious punch slammed into his face. Without pause another fist slammed into his stomach, causing him to let out a hoarse breath, "Listen here you over grown turkey, chicken, whatever! Rath absolutely despises men who hit women! Rath would rather watch My Little Pony alongside little eight year old girls than let some stupid ugly overgrown Dodo bird, hit a woman!" As his ranting increased, the amount of punches Hro suffered all along his body increased as well.

Hro wobbled on his feet, his vision blurry as Rath finally let go of his arm. Putting his hands together into one big fist, Rath slammed his fists into the side of Talak's face and sent him flying into the large computer console, causing the circuits to crackling with energy and electrocute the Hawkman. The force field around the force field control died down, Hro lying still among the wreckage. He growled, turning towards Shayera who was helping Green Lantern up. He let out a roar of triumph before looked towards the force field control, "We need to turn that off, now!"

**Watchtower**

Batman gritted his teeth as he fought with the controls, the Watchtower finally entering the atmosphere as red lights flashed all over, the alarms blaring loud. The whole Watchtower crackled with electricity as it started to fall apart and caught on fire.

Speaking into the intercom as the place literally started to crash and burn around him, Batman scowled as he spoke to Superman, "We're cutting it a little close. Have you shut off the force field?"

Superman floated above the command ship, pressing his comm as he fired his heat vision again, downing yet another fighter, "Not yet. Where are you?"

Batman spoke as if it was supposed to obvious, struggling with the controls again, "Aboard the Watchtower, guiding it to target." Superman's eyes widened as he looked up, "That's insane, get out of there!"

Batman felt sweat heavily beading down his face as he felt the heat increasing but was glad to see the Watchtower was on course, "Negative. I am staying..."

Superman's mouth had fallen open as he tried to listen to the rest of Batman's response but the comm link had abruptly cut. His eyes widened as he looked up, "Batman!" He raised both his fists up and flew upwards towards the burning Watchtower, calling on that 'faster than a speeding bullet' legend he was known for.

**Thanagarian Command Ship: Engineering Deck**

Green Lantern limped towards the force field control, pressing his hand down on the giant golden, circular lever. He pressed down on it with one hand, grunting as he felt his wounded body strain. Rath was about to step forward and press the button with one finger when Shayera moved next to Lantern, placing her hand over his. She looked at Green Lantern who in return looked into her eyes before they both pressed down on the lever, lowering it down fully.

**Hyperspace Bypass**

At the hyperspace bypass device, Thanagarian carrier ships were evacuating from the construction site as fast as they could. As Paran watched from her own carrier, her eyes widened as the giant force field around the hyperspace bypass started to dissolve.

As the force field dissolved and the hyperspace bypass started to warm up, the giant burning Watchtower plummeted to Earth like a meteor. Superman flew after the fiery inferno with all his might, a look of determination on his face.

Meanwhile, inside the burning Watchtower, Batman fought to stay conscious through the smoke and pure heat burning him up inside. The whole Watchtower crackled with electricity as Batman gazed at the screen. Right on target. Burning up and falling apart, the computer was still running. He really did get his money's worth when he built this damn station.

Sweat poured heavily down Batman's face as he coughed from the smoke, finally feeling his consciousness fade, his hands slipped from the controls. In that exact moment, Superman burst through the wall to his right and grabbed Batman's entire seat, lifting him up and flying right back out the hole he entered through.

Just as the hyperspace bypass finished warming up and began to activate, the giant fiery space station once known as the Watchtower, plummeted down onto the bypass and exploded with enough destructive force to destroy the bypass and everything around it for a few miles like a nuke.

Carrying Batman and flying with all his might, Superman managed to stay a few feet ahead of the blast and rubble of metal, fire, and rock for a few minutes before falling onto the ground from the debris. After a few moments of brilliant light and fire, it ended. Smoke, ruin, rubble, and metal were scattered as a large crater stood where the bypass was.

Among the rubble, one giant boulder shook for a few moments before being thrown off. Superman stood up, shaking gravel off of himself as he turned to look at the crater. Batman, shielded by Superman's body, sat against the rock with a huff.

Superman and Batman finally looked at one another with a knowing look before Clark cracked a smile, "Always have to be the hero, don'tcha?"

Bruce seemed to scowl at Superman for a few moments before giving him a smirk, "Right back at you."

**Thanagarian Command Ship: Engineering Deck**

Back on the engineering deck of the Thanagarian command ship, Green Lantern and Shayera both watched the video screen with some relief, seeing the wreckage of the hyperspace bypass. They both shared a brief look before looking away, Shayera with sorrow at what was to come and Green Lantern with weariness from the days events.

Rath let out a growl of approval before pumping his fists into the air, about to cheer when suddenly they heard footsteps behind them. A platoon of Thanagarian soldiers rushed into the room, armed with various weapons. They surrounded the three heroes, Rath glaring as he snarled at the Hawkmen, "You want a piece of Rath!? Rath wants a piece of all of you! Right now! You don't even want to mess with Rath right now! Not! Right! Now!"

Just as Rath was about to jump into the mass of Hawkmen, the heroes heard grunts of pain and metal meeting metal. They all looked towards the door to see Wonder Woman swiping her sword across about five or six Thanagarian soldiers, her hair slightly disheveled, holding her sword up in a guarded stance, "Whose next?"

The Thanagarians all looked at each other before Rath suddenly let out a roar and body slammed four of the Thanagarians. Just as Wonder Woman was about to attack two of the soldiers still standing, a voice echoed across the room, "Stand down. Lower your weapons."

All eyes went to Hro Talak, even Rath who was currently holding two Thanagarians in headlocks. One of the Thanagarians attempting to attack Wonder Woman looked at him in confusion, "Commander?" Hro walked towards his soldiers, electrical burns all over his body and his wings burnt here and there.

"Our mission's a failure. There is no more reason to fight." He got some of his strength back in his voice as he nodded at his soldiers, "Let them go." Wonder Woman also dropped her stance, lowering her sword as Rath slowly released the soldiers he had.

Hro then walked straight up to Shayera, glaring at her, "I hope you are pleased with yourself. It'll take years for us to rebuild elsewhere."

Shayera didn't even blink at him, "Then you better get started." She then promptly brushed past him with Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Rath joining them. The Thanagarian soldiers moved aside, watching them all go alongside their commander.

**Gotham City: Wayne Manor a few days later**

Shayera Hol watched with great sorrow as the news reported the retreat and departure of the Thanagarian fleet. The reporter sounded relieved and tired but finally thanked the Justice League, saying how the world once again owed them a debt of gratitude.

Ben watched the news for a few moments with interest._ So the world knows about super powered beings and heroes and actually gives them credit. No slander, no hateful news, no ungrateful Will Haranguers? That's definitely a plus._

As the report ended, Shayera's shoulders drooped as she finally turned the TV off, placing the remote down onto the table carefully. Ben looked at Gwen who was sitting next to him on the couch. They swapped stories on what happened during their individual missions and Ben was surprised at Batman's actions. The brooding, scowling man was a hero through and through. He had new found respect for the man.

Gwen got up as Alfred came into the room, placing a tray of tea onto the table. The old butler smiled at her as she knelt down next to the table, helping Alfred pour the tea into each cup. After placing a hot cup of tea for each of them, Alfred politely excused himself to prepare dinner.

Shayera crossed her arms, hugging herself slightly as she spoke, "They've been in there for a long time."

Gwen paused from sipping her tea as Ben looked up at Shayera. He nodded, watching the winged woman carefully, "Yes..." he let out a tired sigh, rubbing a hand over his face, "They have."

After cleaning up some of the mess, tending to those who needed medical attention, and straightening everything out with the UN, the Justice League, plus two, plus a traitor, had come to Wayne Manor because they had no other place to meet in secret.

Taking much needed showers, getting some much needed food, and finally having a blissful ten hours of sleep, everyone had met up. The League apparently had many things to talk about, one being the fate of Hawkgirl, the traitorous Thanagarian who helped found the Justice League. Then there was the subject of the fate of the Justice League itself. How to rebuild and what to rebuild.

Hawkgirl, after her betrayal, was obviously not included in their voting and discussion while Ben and Gwen were never part of the Justice League to begin with. So, after much needed rest, they spent most of the time talking together while the Justice League went into the other room to discuss. Shayera had joined them a little later, asking politely if she could turn on the news.

Now here they were, complete strangers who had fought against each other, then with each other. Mostly. So they did what they could, they all talked. Shayera did most of the sharing while Ben and Gwen merely introduced themselves and explained their situation while telling Shayera a story or five about their own adventures. Shayera was certainly surprised to find out they were from a different dimension and why she had never heard of or seen them before. Quite a trump card she said.

Then she explained it all, what brought her here. What she had thought the entire time, then what drove her to do what she did to the Justice League, then why she took the League's side. Gwen and surprisingly Ben, listened patiently for three hours. It was relaxing, they realized. To talk, to share, and to let out their thoughts and stories. It was therapeutic.

They had many similarities, though not good ones, they knew each others pain. The pain of losing everything dear to you. To lose your friends, your family and all you knew. To have to live with what happened, no matter how painful. To have that will to move on and survive.

Finally, Gwen gently placed her teacup down onto the table, adjusting herself so she was sitting back with her knees tucked to one side, "Miss Shayera?" upon hearing her name, with Miss in front none the less, Shayera looked up from her tea.

"Just Shayera is fine, Gwen."

"Shayera then." Gwen smiled a little, having let her hair down from her pony tail, her luscious red locks similar to the winged woman's own hair, flowed down her back. She took a deep breath and looked at her carefully, "I understand from your story the things you did, you did because you thought you were doing what was right, for your people and in part, for ours..."

Ben cleared his throat, picking off where Gwen trailed off, "You didn't know what your military was really planning, we truly believe you didn't. It doesn't make sense why you would help us unless you really didn't know what your military was planning. What you did, Shayera? Was...phenomenal. People might call you a traitor from both sides...but we think you are a hero."

Gwen spoke up again, giving Shayera a warm smile, "You might have done some things that you regret, but who hasn't? What I think really matters...is what you did in the end. You saved this Earth. You saved billions of lives, the lives of people who are not even your own species. You had no obligations to them, but you did. You went as far as to have yourself get shunned by your people by helping us, and I think... I think that despite what happened, you are a true hero. A wonderful hero."

Ben smiled as well, "You might...go through some hard times, Shayera. Not everyone will know, but we will. Me and Gwen, that you sacrificed so much, and gave a lot so that we could be here right now. So that everyone on this Earth could be here right now... Because of you."

Shayera had no words to express, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open slightly as she stared at these two teens looking at her with nothing but warmth and gratitude. She didn't move for a long time until Gwen stood, still smiling and moved towards Shayera. She hesitantly reached out and gave the woman a warm embrace, pulling her close. She gave the Hawkwoman a gentle pat on the back, smiling as she did so, "No matter what the world may say or what the Justice League decides, you will always be a hero with our gratitude, Shayera Hol. Thank you."

Shayera blinked a few times, swallowing the lump in her throat as she tried to say something, anything. To at least get a thank you out. But before she could get her thoughts in check, Alfred came into the room.

o.o

Wonder Woman leaned forward with narrowed eyes, "She exploited our weaknesses, betrayed us!" she looked around the table at each of her fellow Leaguers.

Flash waved his hands before placing them on the table, "Come on! It was the ultimate 'no-win' situation. But when push came to shove, she came through for us, just like always."

J'onn stared straight ahead at Wonder Woman, speaking in his normal calm tone, "She is a pariah to her people. We're all she has left." He then turned his attention to Superman.

Superman nodded a little, waving his hand, "Believe me J'onn, I feel for her. But after everything that's happened... I honestly don't know if I could ever completely trust her again."

Green Lantern stayed silent, his right arm in a cast from his personal battle with Hro Talak, before he looked around the table at each member as they decided the fate of the woman he knew he still loved. He honestly couldn't figure out what to say.

Finally Batman spoke, deciding to end this endless loop, "We are arguing in circles. It's time to take a vote."

o.o

"They've sent for you, Miss." Alfred smiled gently at Shayera who smiled back in return before turning to look at Ben and Gwen. They both gave her encouraging smiles before she started to walk towards the dining room the League was using. Before she got out of range, Ben called after her, "Shayera!"

Shayera paused, turning to look at Ben over her shoulder. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "No matter what happens today, no matter what they vote on or what you decide... Once a hero... Always a hero."

Shayera couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips before nodding with resolve at Ben. She took a deep breath before walking forward.

o.o

Shayera opened the dining room door like pulling off a band-aid, fast to get it over with. She stepped into the dining room, feeling six pairs of eyes staring at her, judging her before Superman started to speak, "Hawkgirl..."

Having said this in her head before she got to the room, Shayera spoke up before she lost her nerves. She felt bad for interrupting Superman but she needed to let them know, "Before you start, I have something to say."

She swallowed down the sudden lump in her throat and took a few steps forward, "I came to this planet as a patriot. I had a mission and I carried it out." she looked at each of their faces, the faces of her first true friends. Friends she had betrayed, she reminded herself, "What I couldn't know, was that I would come to care for the Earth and her people, that I would come to care for all of you." she couldn't help dropping her gaze, "I've spent the last five years torn between my feelings and my duty. I won't ask you to do the same."

With firm resolve Shayera looked back up, at her team, her friends. J'onn's eyes were always hard to read but she could see his sorrow in them, Flash was the easiest to read out of all of them and he obviously looked pained, looked sad. Superman looked torn, as if he couldn't decide whether to be sad for her or be angry. Batman's expression held no visible emotion she could read, just an observation of her while Wonder Woman was the opposite. She could see the distaste and anger in her eyes plainly, no surprise. Green Lantern, she didn't know what to say, maybe she just didn't want to look deep enough, afraid of what she would see. Her eyes looked back at Superman as she spoke, "Therefore I am resigning from the Justice League, effective immediately.

The Justice League watched in silence as Hawkgirl turned and started to leave. Before she could reach the door though, Barry stepped forward and stopped her, gently giving her a parting hug. After a moment, Shayera returned it, closing her eyes before letting go.

Flash watched her back until she turned the corner, his shoulders drooping, "Great... No Hawkgirl, no Javelin, no Watchtower. Whats going to happen to the League now? Do we all just walk away?"

Surprisingly, it was J'onn who answered immediately, determination on his face and in the tone of his voice, "No, we rebuild. Starting today."

Superman stood up firmly, "J'onn's right." he turned to look at the other members of the Justice League, "Earth still needs us. And we'll never let her down. It's our duty."

Green Lantern looked down solemnly, still contemplating everything that happened over and over again in his mind. He really just couldn't figure out what to say.

o.o

Ben and Gwen immediately stood up when Shayera came back into the living room. They couldn't quite read her expression but when she smiled they knew it didn't go well, "They kicked you out?" Ben exclaimed incredulously.

"Ben!" Gwen elbowed her cousin in the stomach. He winced, holding his now sore tummy as he muttered an apology.

Shayera smiled at the two and shook her head, "No... I resigned."

The two cousins looked at one another before looking at Shayera. Ben opened his mouth to say something but Gwen beat him to it, "Are you sure this is what you want? It sounds like you didn't give them a chance to tell you how they actually voted."

Shayera smiled, looking towards the windows, "No... It wouldn't be right. And besides, I think it'll be good for me to go, find out who I am... See what I am really supposed to do."

Ben looked at Shayera with mixed emotions, seeming like he wanted to encourage her while at the same time, ask her to stay. Though it was a short period, both the Tennysons had bonded with Shayera, they did not wish to see her leave and especially not alone.

Gwen resolved to just stepping forward and giving Shayera a warm hug before pulling back with a smile, "It may not mean much but... If you ever need a friend, someone to talk to, or just need a girl to hang around with. You can come find me anytime." Shayera smiled a little, nodding in thanks.

She turned to Ben who also gave her a big hug, holding her close, "Where ever you go for this...soul searching. Whatever purpose you think you were created for, know you _are_ a hero. Don't ever forget it." he grinned when he pulled back which earned him another real smile from Shayera.

She gave the two cousins one last look before making her way outside, her eyes drifting up towards the orange sky.

The two Tennysons watched her go with mixed feelings before turning around when Alfred cleared his throat, "Young Master Ben. Miss Gwen. They've sent for you."

o.o

Shayera had her eyes closed, her hands by her sides as she felt the wind rush through her hair. She stood near the edge of the cliff overlooking the waters of Gotham. She opened her eyes when she felt a presence behind her, already knowing who it was. When he spoke up, she could feel her heart give a slight squeeze, "You never asked how we voted."

She smiled slightly, feeling a bit lighter, "It doesn't matter."

John's eyes never left her back, the little distance between them feeling like miles as he watched her, "So...where are you going to go?"

Shayera looked towards the sunset, "I don't know. Some place where the fate of the world isn't in my hands. Some place with no secrets or lies."

"Was it all a lie?"

Shayera paused for a moment before turning around, the setting sun behind her shining on her fully, making her seem like a real angel, "I love you John." she said it with no hesitance and all her honesty, "I never lied about that."

They then stared into each others eyes for a few moments before she turned and took off, spreading her wings as she jumped off the cliff. John took one step forward, his left hand reaching up before he stopped. He watched her fly off, his arm dropping by his side as he felt the tears drop from his eyes.

He realized he did not say it to her and that she was already out of reach, but he said it anyways, "I love you too."

**Author's End Note: That took me longer than I expected. Went from 8:00 PM to 11:32 AM this time, so forgive me if I got a little sloppy in the end. I hope it was okay, there ends the second season of Justice League. Justice League Unlimited, coming up. **

**Author's End Note #2: Yes I changed the Martian, White Martian story and such. Sue me. I mentioned the Young Justice thing up top remember? So I am editing a few details the Justice League did wrong in my opinion like Barry Allen being the Flash and etc. etc. Don't hate me for it. **


End file.
